Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (10 page)

Then, a noise awoke her from her thoughts. Her surprised
gaze moved to the person coming in the door. Before she even saw who it was,
Ashleigh bolted toward them. She slammed the woman into the wall and covered
her mouth. The woman was dressed in maid's attire, a classic type that matched
the atmosphere of this old place. Because she was still on a high from feeding,
Ashleigh easily subdued the servant.

Instead of asking politely for her uniform, Ashleigh quickly
undressed the maid and stole it. The woman put up quite a struggle, but
Ashleigh was stronger. After she got what she wanted, Ashleigh locked the maid
in the bathroom.

Ashleigh's fingers shook as she slipped into the maid's
uniform. It was very tight because she was much taller and curvy than the maid.
Her hefty cleavage was hard to squeeze in and overflowed around the collar.
Luckily the shoes were only slightly too small, which she was grateful for.

With a final twist of her long hair into a tight bun, she
was ready to make a run for it. The door was still open a crack, but when she
left the room, she shut it tightly.

There were a few people in the hall, and Ashleigh kept her
head down as she passed. She didn't know who they were, but most were dressed
in plain clothes and spoke
Kresterian
, a language she
knew little of. None of them regarded her strangely, although a few did check
out her sexy attire.

Even though her heart was racing, she was determined to
escape. In the pocket of her dress, she could feel a set of keys and a cell
phone. She hoped the keys were for a car parked outside. The walk downstairs
seemed to take forever, and though the castle was beautiful, she didn't stop to
admire the scenery.

Once she was outside, she glanced at the logo on the keys. A
small smile graced her lips when she recognized it. She tried several vehicles
until she found the right one. A deep sigh was released from her lips as her
bottom hit the ripped leather seats.

Her hand turned the key, and she slowly pulled away from the
castle. She had no idea where she was going. When she was a safe distance away
and traveling down the dark and desolate road, she took out the phone and
dialed Caleb's number.

He quickly picked up, his voice distracted,
"Hello?" There was a lot of noise in the background. It sounded like
he was getting ready for a concert. A man was screaming orders.

"Caleb!" Ashleigh's face filled with a huge smile
when she heard his voice. "It's me!"

"Hey! You're okay! Where—"

"I need help." She glanced at the street sign, but
it was in a language she couldn't read. "I just ran away from the Count
and stole someone's car. Now, I have no idea where I am." She tried not to
cry as she sniffled. "And I-I'm so scared, Caleb."

"Just calm down, babe." The sounds in the
background grew fainter. "Where are you?"

"I don't know." Her hands gripped the steering
wheel tightly and were the only part of her body that wasn't shaking. "I'm
in some foreign country."

"Maybe
Krest
?"

"Maybe." She glanced at another sign she passed,
squinting as she struggled to make it out. "Caleb…" She began to
whine, her voice wet, "Help me."

"I will. I just don't know where you are. Let's figure
that out first."

"Don't you know where the Count lives?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Are you in town?"

"No."

"Can you get to one? When you get there, ask where the
nearest airport is. If you get to the airport, I can help you from there."

"What about a passport? I don't have one of
those."

"Don't worry about that stuff. Just check out the
nearest town and find the airport." He let out a small sigh. "I've
got to get back, but I'll find a way to get you home. I promise."

"Okay."

He attempted to sound upbeat, "I love you, babe."

"I love you, too." She paused at a stop sign. Her
eyes darted quickly back and forth. "Do you think everything will be
okay?"

"Sure it will. Tomorrow night, I'll be banging you in
my dressing room." He forced a laugh. "Before
and
after the concert."

"Sounds good."

"Sounds awesome!"

"But what happens after that?" She started driving
down the road again.

"I don't know yet, but it'll involve you sucking my
dick."

"Stop playing around." She didn't laugh at his
joke as she briefly glanced down at the gas gauges. Her hand reached down and
turned up the heat because she was freezing. "I meant with us."

"Well, I still want to marry you, but—"

"Okay."

"
Okay
?"
Someone was screaming his name in the background, but Caleb was more focused on
his phone call. "Really? You will?"

"Yeah. I'm ready now." She bit her lip as she
thought of what his face looked like right now. She wanted to be there with
him. Right there, in the front row of his concert, and then feel his warm arms
around her that night.

"I can't wait! This is awesome! Love
ya
, babe! See
ya
soon!" He
hung up. Ashleigh made a sour face and set the cell into the cup holder.

She drove for another ten minutes then caught some bright
lights in her rearview mirror. She moved her mirror so they wouldn't blind her.
She slowed down a little for them to pass, but they didn't.

Rolling her eyes, she swore under her breath. She messed
around with the stereo as she tried to find a station she liked. Unfortunately,
most of the stations were either static-y, or in a language she didn't
understand. Finally, she turned down the radio and let it play in the
background instead.

She could still see the lights in her mirror. It was making
her nervous, but she tried not to think much of it. They stayed close to her
bumper, which infuriated her.

Rolling her bottom lip, she captured it with her top teeth.
She squeaked when they pierced the skin, and she quickly released it. She
glanced in the rearview mirror, bearing her teeth at her reflection. There they
were—a small set of fangs.

"
Ooohhh
…shit." Letting
out an annoyed sigh, she turned back at the road. Her fingers ran over the new
set of incisors. This was something she had never seen on a female vampire.

The phone began to ring. Ashleigh glanced down at it,
recognizing Robert’s number. She quickly answered, "Hello?"

"What road are you on?" Robert's voice was deep
and lacking emotion.

"I don't know." She read the next sign. "The
sign I just passed says SVK twelve."

"Follow that until the main highway comes up. It should
say HVK thirty-six. Follow that until you reach
Neuval
,
where there’s an airport. Turn off the highway when you see the sign for the
airport. I've arranged for you to be on the
nine o'clock
flight, so make sure you're there on
time."

"How far is
Neuval
?" She
glanced back at the truck behind her then studied the road signs. She smiled
when she saw one that said HVK thirty-six. She turned and was soon on the
highway.

"About five minutes, I think." Robert was typing
something, the sound of clicking keys in the background. "When you get to
the airport, go to the front desk, and tell them who you are. They have all
your information there, so you don't have to worry about having your ID."

"Are you sure?" She bit her lip then quickly
released it when her fang pierced the surface. She could taste blood and
involuntarily sucked.

"Positive."

"Thanks, Robert." She let out a small sigh then
searched for the correct sign.

"You’re welcome. Have a safe trip home." He hung
up.

Her face filled with a huge grin. Ashleigh followed Robert's
directions until they led her to a small airport. Her smile faded when she saw
the same vehicle still following her. The tailing didn't seem to be just
another car on its way home. However, she had to get home, and she had no
choice but to press on.

She parked and grabbed a coat she had seen in the backseat.
It was a man's, tattered, plaid coat. Though she drowned in it, it was better
than running around in only her tight, maid's attire. She quickly grabbed the
cell and jogged toward the entrance.

She was slightly out of breath when she reached the front
desk. "Hello." She spoke her own language and tried to sound upbeat.
"My name is Ashleigh Brown. I need to pick up my ticket."

"Ashleigh." The woman smiled, her accent thick but
understandable. She picked up a stack of papers near her then laid them out in
front of Ashleigh. "Here is a temporary ID and passport, so hold onto
that. And please sign this for me."

As she signed her name, Ashleigh could feel someone walk up
behind her. Though it scared her, she didn't acknowledge them.
"Thanks." She handed the slip back to the woman.

"I must say, you have a very generous boyfriend.
Arranging all this for you."

"He's a keeper, that's for sure. I'll have to thank him
when I see him." Ashleigh grabbed the ticket and papers from her hand.
"Thanks again."

"Five minutes to boarding." The woman pointed down
the hallway. "Terminal fifteen."

Ashleigh took off toward the gate, her feet aching from the
shoes she was wearing.

* * * *

Ashleigh quickly sat down on the plane. A great excitement
washed over her at the thought of going home. The cabin was filled with people,
but luckily, she had found an empty seat in the back.

She peered out the window and onto the dark runway. Her legs
bounced up and down nervously as she waited. Her tattered-looking jacket made
her look very out of place, but she didn't care, she was going home and that's
all that mattered.

She glanced briefly at the man who sat down next to her. He
spoke to her in his language, his voice friendly as he tried to start a
conversation. She didn't answer him, instead, she looked down at her phone when
it started ringing. She checked the number, and not recognizing who it was,
didn't pick up. She then called Robert.

"Yes?"

"Robert." She smiled when she heard his voice.
"Can I talk to Caleb?"

"Yes."

"Hey!" Caleb's voice was so loud, the man next to
her could hear everything he said. "Did you make it on the plane
okay?"

"Oh my God, thank you so much Caleb. You're amazing.
Super, super amazing."

He laughed. "I know."

"It's going to be okay, right?" Her eyes turned to
the stewardess, who was standing near the front of the plane. She was talking
to a few passengers as they got ready to take off. Pushing her lips together,
Ashleigh tried to hold back her tears.

"Of course, it is. Just hang on. You're almost
home."

"How are you feeling?" Gazing down at her lap, she
pulled at the tattered edges of her coat.

"Cell phones off please!" the stewardess spoke.
"We'll be taking off in a few…"

"Better," Caleb answered.

"I'm sorry about everything." She sniffled as her
voice lowered. "I've messed everything up."

"No, you haven't."

"I have to hang up." She looked up at the
stewardess. "But one more thing."

"What?"

"Make sure my laptop's charged. I've got to
finish—"

"Right, babe." Caleb laughed. "I'll charge it
for you."

"Thanks." Her face filled with a gentle smile as
she glanced down again. "I'll call you when I get to Stockton."

"I'll have someone pick you up and take you to the
hotel. I won't be there till Friday, though."

"Miss?" The stewardess pointed to Ashleigh's
phone. There was a slight anger in her voice, even though she was trying to be
polite. "Please turn off your cell phone."

"Knock '
em
dead tonight,
baby. Bye." She hung up then powered it down. Letting out a deep sigh, she
shoved it into her pocket and put on her seatbelt.

"I'm Jake." The man next to her spoke, his eyes
settling on hers.

"Ashleigh." She glanced at him briefly then back
at the front of the plane.

"We're
gonna
be riding
fourteen hours next to each other, so I thought it'd be polite to introduce
myself." He ran a hand through his messy blond hair, his brown eyes almost
hazel in color.

"Yeah."

"So, where you from?"

Her voice was snippy, showing her sour mood, "Not
here."

"I live in
Nueval
. This is my
first visit to the mainland."

She turned to him and laughed, the word "mainland"
sounding humorous. "You mean Morgan."

"Yeah." He laughed too, studying her. "So,
why do you hate it here?"