by E. S. Moore
The door opened slowly, spilling light from the hall over me. I wanted to peek to see whether it was Levi or Eilene checking on me, but it was too risky. I didn’t want to talk to Levi, especially if he was looking for more blood.
There was a long moment when no one moved. The light played over my eyelids, turning them orange. I wanted to squint against it, but worked hard to keep my face blank. I kept breathing regularly, and refused to swallow, knowing it wouldn’t look natural.
“She’s asleep,” Eilene whispered from the doorway. “You don’t need to stare. She’s not going anywhere.”
Levi grunted and the door closed with a click.
My eyes snapped open, but I didn’t sit up. The shadows beneath the door moved away, down the hall. A moment later, the front door opened and then slammed closed. I sat up just as the truck started up outside.
A clock started ticking in my head. Levi was leaving, but for how long? My best guess was that he was heading to his lab to pick up some supplies for his newest “guest.” That gave me what? An hour at best? What could I accomplish in such a short amount of time, in a house where the only thing that could stop him was a living, breathing person with a death wish?
I’d just thrown one leg over the side of the bed, not quite sure whether I was willing to risk sneaking out or not, when the door opened. I froze, expecting Levi to come waltzing through the door with a knowing smile on his face. Instead, Eilene stepped inside.
“I hope you aren’t thinking of leaving,” she rasped as she leaned against the door frame. She looked like she would attempt to bar my way if I so much as thought about it.
I eased back into bed. “Levi’s gone.”
“He is,” she said. She took a deep breath and groaned as she pushed away from the door frame. She walked across the room with slow, shaky strides, and collapsed with a grunt onto the bed beside me. “That’s why I’m here.”
I frowned into the darkness. The light from the doorway was behind her, casting her face into shadows my weak eyes couldn’t penetrate. The hall light created something of a halo around her, making her appear to glow.
She just sat there for a long time, looking at me. I didn’t break the silence, not sure what I could say. I wasn’t stupid; I knew what she wanted. I wasn’t going to prompt her into something I was unwilling to do.
“Here,” she said, lifting her hand. The light caught the blade of a knife.
“What’s that for?” I asked, playing dumb. I went from wanting Levi to stay away for as long as possible to hoping he returned in the next few minutes. She wouldn’t push the issue as long as he was around.
“What do you think?” Eilene asked. “This is your best chance.” I shook my head. “I can’t. Not now.”
“Levi is gone,” she reminded me, as if I’d forgotten. “This is the perfect opportunity to do it without risk of interruption. No one here will stop you.” She shoved the knife practically under my nose.
I made no move for it. “I need more time.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve had time. Did you manage to find anything while you were out? Have you come across some magical way to remove Levi that doesn’t involve killing the one thing that is holding him here?”
“I found a few interesting items,” I said carefully, not looking into the shadows of her face.
“Something that will sever his connection with this realm?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He showed up before I could work anything out.”
Eilene thrust the knife toward me again. She didn’t do it in a threatening way, but I could tell by her posture that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She’d been waiting for this moment for years. She wouldn’t be easily dissuaded.
I took the knife from her, just so it wouldn’t be waving under my nose any longer. I set it on the bed next to me.
“There is nothing anywhere in Delai that can help you,” she said, glancing toward where I’d set the knife. “I’ve told you this before. You have to kill me. If you wait too long, you will lose your chance. And then what? Are you willing to spend the rest of your life trapped here? Do you want to watch me wither away without hope of dying? Every waking second is agony. Can’t you see how it hurts?”
I didn’t have to see her face clearly to know she was in pain. It would be a mercy to kill her. I would save not just those Levi would torture in the future, but would save Eilene from more agony.
“I can’t,” I said, moving my hand away from the knife.
“You can.” Eilene suddenly sprang forward and grabbed me by the nightshirt. Her hands were shaking badly as she tried to pull me closer with what little strength she had. “You have to.”
My heart just about broke as tears spilled down her cheeks. Her entire body shuddered and she let me go, slumping in on herself as if her entire body had simply given up the fight.
“You have to,” she whispered, almost to herself.
In all my time, I’d never met anyone so willing to die. I had the means to do it, had killed countless people without a second thought, yet now I hesitated. Killing Eilene would put an end to Levi and his experiments, but it would also break something in me, something I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to fix. I’d never escape her memory. I would regret killing her until the day I died.
If only there was a way to set her free, rather than killing her. She might die within minutes of escaping, but at least it wouldn’t be by my hand. She might get a chance to say good-bye to Sienna, would be able to hold her stepdaughter’s hand one last time before slipping peacefully away.
And that’s when the plan started to form.
“Eilene,” I said slowly. “Have you ever left Delai before?”
She shook her head. She wiped the tears from her eyes with a bony hand. Her skin seemed to absorb the moisture, as if the few tears were revitalizing her old bones.
“I tried once,” she said. “Once I figured out what was happening, I made an effort to leave. I got into Levi’s truck and drove away. He caught me before I could get anywhere close. I think a part of me was too scared to leave.”
“Have you ever tried since then?”
“Why should I?” she asked. “I’d never make it, especially like this. I’m too sick to do much of anything anymore.”
“Do you think it’s possible for you to leave?” My mind was racing. While Levi was trapped within the borders of his own realm, I doubted his summoner would be held by the same restrictions. It was probably why he allowed her to degrade so much. It was the perfect way to keep her trapped without actually locking her away.
“Even if I could, how do you expect me to go like this?” she asked bitterly. “I can hardly walk a few feet without getting winded, and you expect me to walk clear across town?”
“I could drive you.” Hell, I could carry her if it came right down to it. She couldn’t weigh all that much in her sickened state. Even Sienna was strong enough to carry her in short bursts, I was sure.
“That would never work. The roads would be blocked up within seconds of us leaving. Levi would hear us if we tried to take his truck, and stealing one is out of the question.”
“Then we find some way to drive cross-country. He has to have a lawn mower somewhere around here.”
Eilene gave me a flat look I could see even in the dark. “How far do you really think you’d get like that? The noise alone would draw every one of his watchers to us.”
The sad thing was, she was right. I’d known it even before I’d suggested it. The town was surrounded by a border of trees. Even if we tried to make a run for it cross-country, in a stolen vehicle, it was unlikely we’d get far before having to get out and walk. He’d probably created Delai that way so it would be easier to control his victims before he managed to take complete control of their minds.
But I couldn’t just stab this woman and call it a day. I had to try something.
“I want to try,” I said. “I want to make one last attempt to free you. If that fails, then we�
��ll do it your way.”
“And how do you expect us to leave here?” she asked. She sounded both frustrated and angry. I seemed to do that to people quite a lot. “I can barely walk. I sure as hell can’t run.”
“You have medicine,” I said, remembering the bottles I’d seen in her medicine cabinet. “Does it help with the pain?”
She nodded. “It doesn’t get rid of it completely and it makes me sleepy.”
“But it helps, right?” At her nod, I went on. “Do you think it might help enough that you could walk long distances?”
“It might . . .” A frown creased her face.
“We can take a roundabout way to the road, but we’ll have to move fast.” I was speaking more to myself than Eilene at this point. “We’ll have to time it when we know Levi will be occupied for more than an hour. I know it won’t be easy, but you’ll have to walk fast without many breaks.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
I placed a hand on the side of Eilene’s face. Her skin felt clammy, cold, as if I was touching someone who was very near death. It would be a wonder if she made it more than a half dozen steps out of Delai before succumbing to her illness.
But it would be worth it, damn it. I was not going to let her die under Levi’s control.
“You can,” I told her. “If we can get out, you might get to see Sienna again—the real Sienna. I can’t promise you that we’ll make it, but it’s worth a try. Don’t you think it will be worth the risk if it means you might see your daughter again?”
That seemed to decide it for her. She closed her eyes and nodded, pressing her face against my palm as if she could feel her stepdaughter through my touch.
I picked up the knife and tried to hand it to her. She blinked rapidly a few times and shook her head. She lifted her face from my hand and stood.
“Keep it,” she said. “I have a feeling you might need it.”
I held out the knife for a moment longer, not liking the feel of the blade in my hand. Even if it came right down to it, I still doubted I’d be able to kill her. As long as there was the slightest chance she could survive this, I wouldn’t do it.
But I took the knife back anyway. I shoved it beneath the mattress where Levi wouldn’t find it. I just hoped he wouldn’t notice it missing from the kitchen before we had a chance to go.
“How will we do this?” Eilene asked. “He’s never gone long enough for us to get away without him noticing our absence.”
“Leave that to me,” I said, a plan slowly formulating in my head. “I’ll let you know when the time comes. Just be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Eilene stood there for a long time, just looking at me before sighing. “This is insane.”
“I know.”
“I hope you know what you are doing.”
“So do I.”
With one last skeptical look, Eilene turned and walked out of the bedroom.
30
My dreams that night were scattered and broken. I kept waking up, certain Levi was in the room with me and that he knew everything. Each time I woke, the room would be empty and the house silent. I’d sit there, trembling, waiting for something to happen, before finally lying back down and drifting off again.
I would have tried to stay up all night, but knew I’d need my strength when we made a run for it. Sleeping isn’t easy when you fear for your life.
It was almost a blessing when morning arrived. I forced myself to stay in bed a little longer than I wanted to, knowing Levi was in the house and he might question it if I was up and moving before anyone else. I was also afraid that if I saw him face to face, he’d see something in my eyes that would alarm him. It was going to be hard enough to escape without him knowing my plan. It would be impossible to do so with him after us.
A faint knock at my door caused me to sit up. Levi pushed open the door and poked his head inside, a smile on his face. He must have had a good night’s work.
“Time to get up, Sienna,” he said. “Breakfast will be ready shortly.”
“K.”
He closed the door. I waited until the sound of his footfalls faded before getting up and picking out clothing that would be suitable for a cross-country trek. I carried them into the bathroom where I took my time getting showered. The longer this took, the less likely it was I’d have to deal with Levi.
I toweled off and before getting dressed, I did my stretches. I might not get a chance to make a run for it for hours, but I wanted to be ready the moment the opportunity arose.
“Sienna?” Levi called from downstairs.
“Coming!” I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, running shoes in hand.
Eilene was sitting at her usual place at the table. She looked nervous, which in turn, made me nervous. The tension could give us away as quickly as blurting out our intentions. I gave her a smile that I hoped would set her mind at ease, but only caused her scowl.
“Here we are,” Levi said, coming out of the kitchen. He set a pitcher of orange juice on the table. The glasses were already in place, as were the plates. I did a quick count and found there to be four settings.
“We’re having company, I see,” I said, sitting.
“We are!” Levi chuckled. “I thought it was time we all got to know each other. Breakfast seemed like the perfect opportunity for that.” He gave me a smile that told me there was more to it than that. I think he wanted me to believe he was trying to be there for Sienna, but I wasn’t buying it. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
Levi vanished down the stairs, presumably to retrieve Chris the werewolf. As soon as he was gone, I leaned across the table and spoke quickly and quietly to Eilene.
“Are you packed and ready to go?”
“Mostly.”
“Are you sure you can do this?”
Eilene gave me a flat look. “No,” she said. “But I’m willing to try.”
“Okay,” I said, nervously glancing toward the stairs. “I have something of a plan. After we eat, distract Levi for about ten minutes. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“What are you going to do?”
I shook my head and sat back as Levi returned with Chris trailing behind him. The wolf looked a little worse for wear. His hair was mussed and he yawned three times before he reached the chair and plopped down in it. He clearly wasn’t used to being up so early. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that early mornings was how Levi helped control his furrier victims. He couldn’t do that with the vampires.
“Morning,” Chris mumbled through another yawn. He glanced around the table until his eyes fell on me. He smiled. “It is definitely a good morning.” He ran his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to tame it.
I gave him a friendly smile and looked away. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about me, but I also didn’t want him to dislike me either. I was going to need him.
Levi missed the whole exchange because he had left the room as soon as Chris had settled into his chair. He returned from the kitchen a moment later with a tray. The smell of sausage and eggs caused my stomach to rumble. I was hungry, but was afraid I might throw up anything I managed to get down. I was far too nervous, but I did have to eat. I would need my strength if we were going to do this.
Levi placed the tray in the middle of the table. “Eat up,” he said, taking his own place.
I forced myself to eat a large helping, though I made sure to keep it small enough as not to arouse Levi’s suspicions. Eilene picked at her own food, which was her norm, eating only a few bites before giving up the ghost of an appetite. She kept her eyes averted from everyone.
“Chris here has been telling me that he worked at a law firm in Illinois up until his conversion,” Levi said, shoving two pieces of sausage into his mouth at once. He chewed noisily as he nodded for Chris to take up the story.
“I did,” Chris said, flushing. “I was new, so I didn’t get into it much before having to give it up.”
Okay, that mean
t I’d have to add a few years to my estimate of his age, but not too many. I’d put him at maybe twenty-four now, maybe a year or two younger.
“Would you like to do that sort of work again?” Levi asked.
“I suppose.” Chris looked more and more uncomfortable, as if talking about his former life was too much for him to bear. “But they don’t want someone like me working there. It is considered too dangerous. I tried to hide what I am, but you know how things are . . .” His eyes flickered to mine before returning to his food. “I made a mistake and everyone found out.”
“Well, that’s what you’re here for. We’ll fix you right up.” Levi winked before shoving more food into his mouth.
Chris smiled at his eggs before glancing over to me. “So, what are you into, Sienna?”
I had no idea how to answer that. There wasn’t all that much to do around here and I really didn’t know what Sienna enjoyed outside of sitting in her room. I shrugged and moved the remains of my food around my plate. Maybe if I didn’t say anything, he’d drop the whole thing.
Chris cleared his throat a few times before speaking again. “Well, maybe once I get in control of this thing, you and I could, I don’t know, go get something to eat sometime?”
Oh, boy. “I don’t know . . .”
“I’m not asking for much,” he said. “It’s just that you seem to be comfortable around, well, my kind, so I thought that maybe . . .” He trailed off, clearly embarrassed.
“Maybe,” I said, really hoping he would stop talking about it. I could tell Levi wasn’t too keen about the werewolf hitting on his stepdaughter.
“I promise to treat you right.” Chris reached across the table and rested his hand on my own, gently caressing the back of my hand with his thumb.
Levi slammed his fist down, causing everyone to jump. Egg and orange juice spilled onto the table and ran onto the floor.
“You are not here to hit on my daughter,” he growled.
“I—I’m sorry.”
Levi pushed his chair back and stood. “I think we’ve eaten enough.”