Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2)

by H. N. Sieverding

  She gazed up at him. Her fangs scrapped against the delicate skin teasingly, but didn't break it. His eyes were closed tightly, and his teeth gritted. Then, she bit down. Her fangs sank into the tender flesh and drew blood.

  His eyes rolled back into his head, and his feet lost their steady stance, his legs shaking. Her lips wrapped around him tighter. Ashleigh sucked harder and harder as she tried to draw more blood. She had latched onto him like a hungry vampire, and the tight, intense sucking motion had him groaning with pleasure.

  Before she was finished drinking from him, he came. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he gazed down at her. She was slowing down. The wound was healing quickly, and the blood was drying up. When it completely stopped, she released her hold on him and stood.

  "How you please me." He watched her lick the blood from her lips. Some of it had dripped down her chin in a thick trail. "There is no gift in the world grander than that of your love."

  "Drake…" Her breath quickened, her hand reaching up to his face and studying him curiously. "Why do I feel so…" She paused as her eyes narrowed on his. Her arms wrapped around his neck tightly, as if she needed his strength to keep her standing. "So strange?" She turned her head and laid it on his bare shoulder. "My mind feels so…unsettled. What have you hidden from me, my love?"

  "What you are feeling is the lingering of a bad memory. I tried to erase it from your mind as you asked but…" He slowly took her hands from his neck and escorted her over to the bed. "I failed you, my queen. I'm very sorry."

  She studied the carpeting as she sat down. Her eyes searched the fibers for an answer, but she couldn't find one. "It’s not your fault. I just wish it would fade completely, like darkness blanketing the sun."

  "This will pass. Do not fret so." He motioned for her to lay down. "Come, let me return your kind gesture with one of my own." He pulled back the covers to reveal the cold, silk sheets beneath.

  She let out a slow sigh then climbed into bed, lying on her back. Her eyes darted frantically over his handsome face as she ran her fingers through his whitish blond hair. "I feel so strange. My stomach is turning. I'm afraid I will be sick. Make it go away, Drake. Bite me and cover this pain with the darkness only you possess."

  He kissed her lips and silenced her. "You do not need my bite. Consumed by my love, it will pass."

  "Maybe you could…" She struggled to remember as a faint song played in the back of her head. "Sing to me? It might make me feel better."

  "Sing to you?" He regarded her strangely as his vision narrowed. "I have never sung to you."

  "Oh." She stared off to the side. Her eyes burned into the space in front of her as she tried to sort out the memory. Then, she turned to him quickly and tried to laugh off the thought. "What a silly thing for me to ask of you."

  "If you wished it, I would."

  He crept closer and began kissing her. His lips were a great distraction from the jumbled thoughts that consumed her mind. When he slipped inside her, his kisses wandered to her neck. He nipped at her soft flesh, his blond hair tickling her nose.

  She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Her mind wandered as her stare burned into the ornate carved tiles above her. He was making love to her, and though it felt very good, she couldn't concentrate.

  With her recovered memories, she knew his every move, as well as every inch of his body. But still, this man she had devoted herself to didn't make her feel like she remembered. There wasn't that intense love inside her that there was before.

  He felt her pulling away, so he lifted his head and stopped to look at her. "Ashleigh." She turned her eyes to him when he called her name. He smiled. His hand stroked her cheek. "Do you need a kiss to calm your mind?"

  She studied his chest, and her eyes narrowed on his perfect pecks. She seemed to be looking for something. Her brow lowered as she tried to remember. "I feel so strange, Drake." She reached up between them and ran her fingers over his hard chest. Her fingers were trying to reveal what her eyes couldn't see—the sweeping tattoo on Caleb's chest that her jumbled mind only saw as angel wings.

  "Then, I shall make you feel wonderful." His finger trailed down her cheek, the action making her eyes turn to him.

  "Yes." She smiled, but it was a fragile one. Her arms hung from his neck. "I would like that."

  "As you wish." He bent down and bit her neck. Her body immediately twisted toward his. He drank from her happily this time because he knew she would still be his when she awoke from the spell. The curse of eternity he had placed on her soul in her previous life covered her eyes once again. All she could remember was being the wife of the Count, and that's exactly what he wanted.

  Chapter Twelve

  Walking down the stairs slowly, Ashleigh was cautious. Her agile feet skimmed over the polished wood as if she was floating. It was the first time she had left her bedroom, and because her mind was still jumbled, there was a lot for her to take in. Ashleigh knew something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. And she listened to Drake. Every word. Every lie. Just like he had promised, he had molded a perfect world for her.

  She had been starving, so she grabbed the first person she could find to feed on. The Countess was a silent killer, one that swept in on her prey and left just as quickly. She had left the Count alone, and because he had been in such a pleasured state, he was sleeping better than he ever had.

  Hearing voices, she slinked backward and turned toward the sound. A few people were gathered at the foot of the stairs. With her new heightened senses, she knew they were human. She could smell their blood. The scent made her swoon, her tongue making a quick pass over her top lip. But she was full from feeding and quickly turned from them.

  She went out to the garden and took a stroll down a desolate path. It was dark—the night so thick, everything outside the protective light of the lamps blended into the shadows. She needed this time to think, but the more she tried, the more confused she became.

  She plucked a lily from one of the flowerbeds. She twisted it around her fingers as she studied the small spots that dotted it's center. Releasing a deep breath, she sat on a nearby bench.

  She looked down at her belly, rubbing it gently as she thought about her child. She couldn’t understand how this could be. She and the Count had tried for an eternity for a child, and every time she had become pregnant, she lost her child. She swore she remembered losing this one too, but Drake assured her she hadn't.

  She lingered in the garden for an hour more then slowly trekked back to the main house. Making her way to the large sitting room, she saw a commotion in the hallway. Neal was arguing with a few men, and because she now understood Kresterian, she heard his every word. They were talking about Ashleigh's disappearance and were spreading out to find her.

  She found this strange. Instead of passing through the thick crowd, she transported herself into the sitting room. She scanned the area slowly, her cat-like eyes taking notice of every person. Some women were sitting by the fireplace gossiping, and others were sitting at the other end of the room playing cards. The bigger alpha vampires weren't present, and neither was the Count.

  Ashleigh went over to an empty couch away from both groups and sat down. Her eyes gazed down at the flower in her hands, her fingers reaching up to stroke the soft petals. Sadness weighed heavy on her frail shoulders. She had no idea where it was coming from, but she could feel it.

  "There you are." The Count stood in front of her. He grinned when he saw her look up at him. "I have been looking for you. I was worried."

  "I am fine, my love." She extended her hand to him. "I felt I needed the air to calm me, but it has only made the restlessness in my chest grow."

  "Then maybe it is me that you need?" He sat next to her and took her in his arms. She melted into them willingly.

  "Maybe." She twisted the flower in her hands, the stem slightly crooked.

  "Tell me your wish, and I shall do everything in my power to give it to you."

  "I still have
a child." A tender smile filled her lips, the thought reddening her pale cheeks. "The wish I have desired for so long is finally mine." Reaching a slow hand to his cheek, she gazed loving into his eyes. "Thank you."

  "It is my desire to make you happy, my queen, so no thanks is needed." His fingers ran down her bare forearm teasingly.

  "Drake?" She laid her head on his chest, snuggling deeper into the cool fabric of his shirt. "Do you love me?"

  "More than the every breath that escapes my lips." He held her tighter and rubbed his cheek against her soft, black hair.

  "I feel the great need to write. For that release only the spilling of ink can produce."

  "Tell me a story then, my love."

  "I have no stories." She sighed. "My head will produce nothing but muddled thoughts at this moment."

  "Do not be so sad. I do not like to see you like this." He kissed her hair before letting out a tired exhale. "Tell me how to heal this and I shall."

  "So deep this sin lies that I cannot find its source. The blackness that sleeps inside me hides it from my eyes. Drake?" She stared up at him, one of her arms reaching back and encircling his neck. "Tell me my sin. Hiding this from me will only leave me with emptiness. What is it I have done that makes me feel so lost? What is the source of the shroud that weighs down my heart? I thought it was our child, but…I fear it is something more."

  "It is the sin of choosing this life over your other. You feel sadness because of the guilt."

  "I wish I could remember."

  "You asked me to let you forget." His index finger danced down her check and stopped to linger on her chin. "I did as you asked."

  "I asked you that?"

  "I promised to give you whatever you wished, so I was merely following the orders of my queen." A very soft chuckle escaped his lips as he ran a teasing finger over the surface of her bottom lip. "Are you angry with me?"

  "No." Ashleigh glanced down at the lily briefly then slowly into his intense, green eyes. "If I asked such a thing, then maybe it is better this way. I would rather remember you than any other memory in the world. I love you, Drake. Thank you for bringing me home."

  "You're welcome, my love. For you, I would do anything."

  She slowly retracted her arm and turned slightly in his arms. There was a great seduction in her deep voice, "What would you do for me, Drake?" She traced his soft lips with a single finger, her touch so tantalizing she could feel his breath quicken.

  "Anything." He took her hand and kissed it gently. "To have you in my arms, I would fight the greatest army. I'd cheat, I'd lie, I'd do anything both despicable and treacherous just to keep you."

  "Kill?" The word seemed to excite her, a wicked grin lighting her features.

  "Oh, yes. Kill and torture." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "To own you, I would gladly commit even the greatest sin."

  "You spoil me so." She giggled. "I love you, my prince." She began kissing him, something that the Count returned eagerly. After a few seconds, she slowly pulled away and gazed up at him lovingly. "I have a story now."

  "Tell me, my love." The Count licked his lips, the taste of her ruby lipstick clinging to them.

  Motioning to her lap, she gave him a sweet smile. The Count obeyed and lay down his head. He gazed up at her as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. In his lover's arms, he was tame.

  "A young girl hides behind a stack of molding hay. The sky is black, the clouds hanging low and thickening the air. It chokes, so thick and full of death that she unwillingly breathes in the sin. It fills her, coats her lungs with the blackness. The dead burn in the hearth, their flesh melting into ash. The fire's burning fingers reach to the sky, the only light in this darkness."

  The Count chuckled as he took her hand. He studied her fingers one at a time. "The story of our meeting. I remember reading something similar in a book, recently."

  "There is no story as great as ours. Do you not like mine better?" She picked up the lily and teasingly ran it over the surface of his cheek.

  "’Tis a dark tale, my queen. I love such things."

  She bobbed her head slightly as she gazed at some of the people across the room. They were watching her, but turned when she looked their way. "As do I."

  "If I had been hungry, I would have surely eaten you." He grabbed her chin, turning her attention back to him. "I made you my servant, and every night, you would ask—"

  "Shall I live to see the light?" She frowned as she ran the flower along the back of his hand, but her voice didn't reflect her sadness. "I wish to see the sunrise, for the night is hard to bear without a light."

  "When you know what lies within the shadows, you shall never fear the dark." His toothy grin revealed his large fangs, his eyes bright and filled with an evil light. "Sleep, my child, and if you see the sun rise, you will know that it is I who have allowed it to rise."

  "What a cruel man you were." She studied the love in his eyes with a great curiosity. "I could not sleep in the night and fell asleep before the rise of the sun. You kept me in darkness."

  "Is it wrong to be jealous of the sun? To never want his eyes to kiss your skin, to cloak you with his warm blanket?" Making small circles on the surface of her hand, he chuckled. "I am a jealous man—I do not wish for any man to get pleasure from drinking in your beauty. Looking in such a way upon my queen will cause their eyes to burn and their flesh to bleed."

  "That man has his eyes upon me." She motioned with her head as her eyes gazed at a man across from her. "Does my prince wish to make him bleed?"

  "Do you wish it?" He glanced over at the man, who had since turned his head.

  "No." She gazed at a painting. "But my mind needs a distraction." She turned back to Drake. "With your spell, grant me peace. Fill my mind with thoughts of only happiness. This memory is still clinging to my eyes, even if it is only a shadow. Make it vapor, my love. Make it disappear."

  "If you wish it." He sat up and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Look into my eyes, my queen." He held her chin gently as his eyes locked on hers. "With my magic, I will blacken this memory, bury it deep."

  Her stare became distant as she lost herself in the spell. "You will forget that night you left me. The ball went as planned, and our child did not die. Forget the sadness of your sin, for I forgive you, and you have not died. You are here and have been here every day afterward. You have never met your hero, and he will never come. There is only me. You will stay with me forever, my dark, beautiful queen."

  * * * *

  A few months later, it was Halloween, and there was a great ball being thrown at the castle. Ashleigh had settled into her life with the Count once more. He controlled every aspect of her life and didn't allow her any look into the outside world. That meant no computers or phones, and no one was allowed to speak to her about anything outside her life at the castle. The Count was afraid her past memories would return, and he was doing everything to ensure that wouldn't happen.

  It was tradition to hide from each other at the masked ball, and Ashleigh was now searching the party guests for the Count. She was living in the past. Every thought, every kiss felt as it did when she had been the Count's wife.

  The guests were dressed in fancy gowns, and their faces were covered by all kinds of masks, from frightening monsters and cats to plain, black eye coverings. Ashleigh was dressed in a white and silver gown that spread out under her breasts, it's skirt so thick, it swayed when she walked. Her hair fell in thick curls down her shoulders and back, and she wore an ornate silver comb accentuated with white feathers. Her eyes were covered by a white mask with feathers sprouting from its sides.

  She smiled as she held the sides of her dress. She studied each person as she passed. There was a gracefulness in her walk, each turn of her head perfectly executed. She paused near the back of the ballroom and licked her lips when she spotted him.

  He was standing near the far end of the ballroom. His face was partially hidden by a black mask molded to look like a devil
, the nose of it long and sweeping. A black wig covered his head and long cords of hair fell down his back. He looked frightening. He blended in well, but his stance and the amount of people who surrounded him gave away his identity.

  She took a step toward him, but someone behind her grabbed her hand. Ashleigh spun quickly. She regarded the masked man strangely. Her eyes studied him from head to toe then settled on his eyes. Her brow lowered, and her lip curled as she bore her fangs. She was going to snap at him for touching her.

  A deep, hardened frown filled out his lips as he took in her angered expression. She looked so different. There was a paleness to her skin, and she donned large fangs. The look of the devil lay in her sparkling eyes. She was beautiful, even more so than he remembered, but her great beauty was like a mask worn by a demon to fool others. His voice was soft as he spoke, "Ashleigh."

  Her eyes narrowed on him. A very confused expression graced her features as she recognized his voice. Her anger slowly melted, and her scowl turned into a deep frown. Her lips trembled as if she were about to cry. Her mind was racing to put a name to the voice, but she couldn't.

  All she could do was stare at him. Those comforting, ice blue eyes made her feel an intense connection between them. A bond that terrified her. He was the hero she had wished for long before Nightwalkers was produced. He had finally come for her—finally come to save her from Drake's curse. This was the ending she had re-written in Nightwalkers—Caleb. She paused. Her hand was still in his as she cautiously glanced in the Count's direction.

  There was a desperateness to his voice, "Please…" His hand squeezed hers as he looked around at the other guests then nervously back at her. "Don't say you forgot me. Please, don't."