When I heard the key in my door, I was ready for whatever was going to happen next. Something inside of me had changed. I wasn’t sure if it was determination or some new part of my vampire side coming out.
Seth looked at me, his eyes wide. “Elizabeth, what are you doing?” he said, in a whisper that was barely more than a tiny breath of air.
“I’m not doing anything, Seth, but standing here wondering why I am here, and what you all are doing,” I replied in a hushed voice as well, knowing I didn’t want John to know I was speaking to Seth.
“No, something is different about you since I left a few hours ago. If John sees you like this, he is going to know something is going on. You have to look like a scared teenager, not someone ready to take him on. This will not fare well.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am a scared teenage girl, but I’m also a girl who is fed up with this, and I want some answers.” I stood, defiant and angry, my fists clenched at my sides.
“Heed my warning, Jeremiah will not be happy if you come downstairs like this. I am warning you,” he hissed. Anger flared in his eyes.
“Who are you to warn me? You are working for John, not Jeremiah.” I could feel the anger increasing. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do.”
Suddenly, he was flying backwards through the air. He struck the wall, arms flung to his sides. “Whoa, what are you doing? I’m on your side,” he replied softly. “You better hope that John didn’t hear us. Hopefully he is too engrossed in questioning Jason and Victor.” He started walking towards me slowly, raising his hands in front of him. “Did you know you could do that?”
“What did I do?” I blinked. I didn’t even know what I had done, other than get really mad.
“I think you used vampire powers. I didn’t think that you had any powers, Elizabeth. What’s going on?” He was looking at me with fear in his eyes.
I looked at him closer. “Why are you afraid of me?”
“I’m not. But it seems, now, that the stories Victor and Jason are saying are true.” He started backing towards the door. “Are you a Dhampir?”
“I don’t even know what that is. I am Elizabeth, a human girl. What are you, Seth?” I asked, wanting an answer.
“A friend to Jeremiah. That is all you need to know.”
“I don’t know who you are Seth, but why should I believe anything you are saying to me? You brought me here against my will, and you do everything that John tells you to do.”
“I know you don’t have any reason to trust me or believe anything I say. I am Jeremiah’s friend. You will see when this is all over.” He turned and walked out of my room.
I listened for him to lock the door, and when I heard nothing but his footsteps fading away, I couldn’t move. It had to be a trick. He must be waiting on the other side for me to try and slip out. I opened my mind just a little to Jeremiah. What is going on?
“Stay put, Elizabeth! I heard Seth, and I know he didn’t lock the door. Don’t come out. Let me get back to this questioning.”
With that, he was gone from my mind. Pacing the room, I could feel my anger growing. Why should I let my father do this by himself? He had done nothing but protect me, my entire life. If I went down those steps now, would I seal his fate?
I heard a scream. I froze, every nerve in my body on edge. I opened my mind and my ears to try to hear who was making the ungodly sound. It was Jason! Victor was begging John to stop. What is happening? I reached out to Jeremiah, wanting an explanation. Nothing came back. I crossed the room to the door, my hand reaching for the glass doorknob.
Just as my fingers closed around it, the door flew open. Seth was standing there, hands shanking and his eyes wide. “Elizabeth, we must go quickly. John has lost his temper. He is slowly punishing Jason for his lies. He has threatened Victor with death if he goes near you again. I am to take you back to your parent’s home now, and erase your memories of your time here.”
“Who gave you those orders? What do you mean, he is punishing Jason for his lies? Where is Jeremiah?”
“He is still with John. I have to get you out of here, now. John told me to take you away quickly.”
Thoughts sped through my mind. Could I trust this man? Why had Jeremiah not offered to take me home? If Seth erases my memories, I will not remember that Jeremiah is my father. I couldn’t let that happen.
I looked at Seth, wondering if I could get away from him or not. He had acted afraid of me earlier. I thought it was because he wasn’t sure what I was capable of. But I wasn’t sure what he was capable of, either. What a horrible predicament to be in. I wanted to reach out to my father. I was worried it was too dangerous.
Closing my eyes, I reached just a little, and felt resistance in my father’s mind. He was blocking me from hearing anything, and from contacting him. Something was not right. I opened my eyes, and looked at Seth. “Let’s go.”
He looked startled that I was agreeing to go with him. “Okay, but don’t try anything, I am older, and much stronger than you are.”
I almost laughed at his threat. He was talking tough, but his eyes betrayed his fear of me. I cocked my head sideways and motioned for him to lead the way.
“You go first. I want you in front of me. I want to be able to watch every move you make.”
“How can I go first? I don’t know my way around John’s house. I promise to be good. After all, we don’t want Victor or Jason to know I’m here, isn’t that correct?”
His eyes widened. “Just don’t try anything foolish. You don’t know what John is capable of. I promise none of us will like it if something goes wrong. I don’t want to be punished for a stupid move you make, girl. Now move!”
He opened the door, stepped out of the room, and motioned for me to follow. The hallway was dimly lit and very long. I slipped through the door and followed Seth, making sure that my feet touched as lightly as possible on the rug. We quickly turned a corner, and I saw a window. A soft glow from the quarter moon lit the rest of our way.
Seth stopped and listened for a moment, and then slowly slid the window open. He stepped up onto the sill, and reached for my hand. I grabbed onto him and stepped up. Fear grabbed me when I saw that we were at least twenty feet from the ground. He put a finger over my lips so I wouldn’t say anything. I knew instantly that he was expecting me to jump. If there was ever a time I wanted to believe that just maybe, I really was part vampire, that time was now. If I was not, I was going to be hurt or killed when we hit the ground. I looked at Seth, my eyes pleading with him not to let me die. I don’t know if he read my mind or not, but he smiled just a little, held my hand tighter, and pulled me with him.
Suddenly we were on the ground. He whispered, “Move. We have to get off the property now. Don’t let go of my hand, and try to keep up.”
“I will. What just happened back there?” I asked, still not sure if I was dreaming or if I was laying on the ground dying, and this was my mind wanting me to believe that I was still okay.
“We jumped. We landed. Now we run. I have to get you somewhere safe.” He pulled me with him, and we started to run towards the woods.
I ran with him, trying to keep my thoughts from wandering to my father. I was so afraid for him, but I knew if he did send Seth to help me I had to listen, and not cause more problems. I prayed that my family was safe, and that I would be able to see them again.
18
We ran for what seemed like hours. I couldn’t understand how I was keeping up with Seth and not getting winded. I had no idea where we even were at this point. All I could think about was getting somewhere safe, and checking on my family.
Suddenly we stopped, and Seth held his finger up for me not to speak. He looked around, and I could see him start to relax. “I think we’re safe now. How are you doing?”
“I think I’m fine. Where are we?” Looking around, I saw we were in the mountains. The trees weren’t too close together and off to my right there was a steep rise. I didn’t recognize a
nything. “Where are we?” I asked again.
“Somewhere safe. That is all you really need to know right now. We need to find some shelter for the night. Once we have you safely hidden, I will try to find out what is going on with Victor and Jeremiah.”
“Okay. Umm, I am kind of hungry. Do you think we can find something to eat, too?” I realized that I hadn’t eaten in a while. I felt the heat rising as the blush colored my cheeks.
“I’m sorry; I forgot that humans have to eat more than we do. I will see what I can find. There are many small animals in the forest, so I should be able to catch something for you.”
I looked at him. “Small animals? We can start a fire and cook this small animal, right? I don’t think that I can eat anything that isn’t cooked.”
“I promise you won’t have to eat anything that is raw, Elizabeth. Now, come with me so we can find some shelter.” He started walking toward the slope that I had noticed before. He scanned the area, and smiled. “Come on. I think I found something that will work.”
Following him slowly up the slope, we came to a large rock overhang. Much to my surprise, there was a small opening near the backside of the rock. It opened into a rather cozy cave. I could not understand how Seth could have seen it from where we had been standing. “How did you know this was here?”
“I have an ability to see things like this. Hopefully, no one that John employs has the same. Stay here, and I will get some wood and something for you to eat. Don’t leave this cave, and please try not to make any noise.” He smiled at me, and stepped out of the cave.
I walked over to the far side and sat, suddenly exhausted from everything that had happened. My thoughts went to my family. I could picture Bess sitting in our room, worried about where I was. I knew my mother and father would be sick with worry soon enough. I don’t know how long I have been gone! I don’t even know if I am remembering the time frame correctly. I felt so alone and lost. How could everything have gone so wrong? I sat, staring at the opening he had gone through willing him to return. I just wanted someone else with me.
I heard a twig snap. I felt my entire body tense up. I threw my hand up over my mouth to keep myself quiet, praying it was Seth.
He sauntered in, holding a rabbit in one hand, a small stack of wood in the other. “Okay, I have something for you to eat. Are you doing all right?” he asked when he saw me.
“I’m much better now that you’re back.” I smiled up at him. “Thanks for bringing something back for me to eat. Do you think we really are safe here?”
“Yes, I checked out the area, we will be fine for the night, at least. I wasn’t able to make any contact with Jeremiah. He still has his mind closed to me. He is either still with John, or does not feel safe opening up yet.”
I felt myself start to tremble. The thought of my father still being with John terrified me. “He won’t hurt Jeremiah, will he?”
“I don’t think so. Even though John is the head vampire, I think he is too smart to go after someone of Jeremiah’s standing. I don’t think you have to worry about that.” He smiled at me. “I think that you should go sit over there while I make the fire, and get this rabbit ready for you. It might be more than you can handle, watching what I am doing.”
My heart lurched when I looked down at the rabbit, realizing it was going to be my supper. “I think you are right. Please forgive me for being such a pansy.”
“What is a pansy, Elizabeth? I have not heard that expression before.” His head was cocked to one side, and his eyebrows were drawn together.
“Someone that is afraid of things, like watching you do whatever it is that you have to do to that rabbit so I can eat it.” I smiled a very embarrassed smile at him.
“Oh, I think most girls wouldn’t want to watch that, from what I have observed over the years.” He smiled, and turned to start preparing the rabbit.
Soon the smell of roasting rabbit filled the small cave, and my stomach started growling. I walked over to Seth. “That smells so good! I don’t think I realized how hungry I was.” He turned, and handed the stick to me. I carefully pulled a piece of meat off and took a bite. It tasted better than anything I could remember having in a long time. “This is really good.”
He smiled at me. “That is because you are very hungry. I am glad you like it. We should be hearing something from Jeremiah very soon, I think. He told me that he should be able to contact us before the sun comes up tomorrow.” He studied me for a few minutes, before he continued. “How do you know him?”
The lie came easy from me, something I was not proud of. “I met him because I was doing research on a project for school.” I kept my eyes down, focusing on eating.
“What kind of research were you doing?” I could feel him staring at me.
“I found a book about vampires at the bookstore last summer, and he lives in the house that was in the book. He called me, and asked if I would like to take a tour of it.”
“Interesting. Did you know when you started doing the research that you were special, Elizabeth?”
I felt myself tense up. I slowly glanced up at him. “What are you talking about? What makes me so special?” The beat of my heart was so loud in my ears that I was worried I wouldn’t hear his reply.
“All anyone has to do is look at you to know you are special. I’m not quite sure what it is about you. Jeremiah told me to keep you safe. He didn’t tell me what his connection was to you, or why it mattered if you were safe or not. You look like the woman in a picture I have seen hanging in his house.”
I stood up and looked him directly in the eyes “ What do you want from me Seth? Why didn’t you take me home?”
“I want nothing from you. I am just trying to figure out what is going on here. I find it strange how Jeremiah is being with you. I know he likes humans, but he isn’t usually so protective of them.” Suddenly he paused, and a strange look came over his face. He carefully examined my eyes leaning in closer. He stepped back quickly, shaking his head from side to side. “It can’t be. Never have I known. None of us have,” he sputtered.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked, as a smile played across my face. From everything my father had told me, I knew he was thinking of the legends that vampires had about half-human half-vampire children. I found it a little amusing. I had no fear of him any longer, knowing that if he had meant to hurt me he would have already done it.
“Are you his child? He was very protective of a human female once.”
“You knew of this woman?” I moved closer to him, eager to learn what he knew about my mother.
“Yes, Jeremiah was so happy when he was with her. I saw them together a few times. I was one of the few vampires he allowed around her. I helped him from time to time around his stables. One day, he stopped allowing me to come around. I never questioned him about it, as he would sometimes withdraw from us for years at a time. It is just his way.
“He left for a number of years. One day he returned, but he never mentioned the woman again. You have her eyes.”
“Can we trust you, Seth? I don’t want anything to happen to him.” I narrowed my eyes, and moved closer.
“Yes, you can trust me. I would never betray Jeremiah, or you.” He bowed to me. “You are, after all, my princess.”
I felt my jaw drop. “What did you just say?” I started to giggle. I couldn’t help it. The thought that I was a princess was laughable. I could hear Bess now, laughing right along with me. I am, after all, that proverbial bull in the china shop.
He was looking at me with confusion on his face. “Why do you laugh at me? I speak only the truth.” He actually blushed a little.
“I am sorry.” I tried very hard to stop giggling. I didn’t want to hurt him. “Why would you think I was a princess?”
“Because Jeremiah is our rightful king. There are many of us who are just waiting for John to make the wrong move, and show his true self. He took the title from Jeremiah long ago. Some have forgotten the ruthless, dishonest way he di
d it. There are others of us who remember the true king. I pray that this is the mistake that will show him for what he is. I am also praying that Jeremiah will survive this.”
That sobered me quickly. “Do you think something is going to happen to him? I just met him. I can’t lose him now. Isn’t there something that we can do?”
“We are doing it now. I have gotten you away, and somewhere safe for the time being. That way, Jeremiah can concentrate on what is going on. He has sent for a council of vampires from the old country to come and help him. They should be here any time now. Jeremiah thought that they would be here before John started his questioning of Victor, Jason and him.
“I may have to leave you for a time, to check on things. You must promise me that you will not leave the cave.”
“Seth, please don’t do anything that could cause something to happen to him. He just came into my life, and I don’t want to lose him. Are you keeping my family safe as well? They are going to be frantic, wondering where I am.”
“You don’t have to worry about them. I will go this morning and erase their memories of yesterday and today. They will not realize anything is wrong. I will keep them as safe as I can. I promised Jeremiah this, and I promise you as well.”
I reached over, and took his hand. “Thank you. They are everything to me. Please make sure that Bess is okay. She knows about the book, and the research. I don’t want her to know anything else. She believes in vampires and the fae, so if they question her she may tell them the truth about how she feels.”
“I will take care of that for you. Bess is your sister who is just a bit younger than you, correct?”
“Yes. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to any of them.” I felt myself getting ready to cry, even though I didn’t want him to see that weakness in me.
“I will do my best, Elizabeth, you have my word on that. I know that you have not known me long, and you are taking everything I say as the truth. I can only tell you that I am loyal to Jeremiah, and I will do everything I can to show you that you can both trust me.”
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 193