Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (8 page)

They walked over to the crowd of women surrounding the door,
who were greeting some strange visitors. But Ashleigh wasn't concerned. She was
worried about Caleb. She pulled her hand from Catherine's and trekked backward
as she spoke, "I can’t let them do this. I have to stop them."

"They won't—" Catherine let out a defeated sigh as
she watched Ashleigh jog toward the door. She finished her sentence anyway,
"Let you in."

Ashleigh spoke to the guard. "I need to get in. I'm
Caleb's fiancé.” When he turned to her, she placed her hands in a praying
position, her voice growing more desperate. “Please, let me in."

"Oh…" The guard laughed as he shook his head.
"Well, that's why you're so upset." He took one more glance at the
visitors then back at her. "If I let you in, I need you to promise you'll
go wait in the back room. No bothering the Council's meeting."

A grateful smile filled her lips. "Thank—"

"Let us pass." A man spoke behind her, his accent
thick. His words were firm and slightly annoyed.

The guard's voice was slightly breathless as he held onto
Ashleigh's shoulders, "Your grace. What—"

"Announce our arrival to the Council." The man who
had spoken before, Chase, stood between the guard and the Count. Chase was
dressed in a fine suit of black, from his tie to the dark leather of his shoes.

Ashleigh quickly turned to the men behind her. Her eyes
settled on one in particular. Her jaw dropped. She recited a line from
Nightwalkers
in her head—

His hair was the color of the harsh
rays of the sun, so blond it almost appeared white. A brilliant yellow light
sparkled in his inhuman emerald eyes. His smile so wicked even an angel would
fall at this handsome man's feet. She knew as soon as she spoke, she would be
cast under his spell. He would have her bowing, bending to his will, and she
was powerless without the protection of her Drake.

Her lip trembled as she stared at him. She swore she knew
his every feature. It was as if she had memorized this man in another life. She
could feel the great connection between them, and it terrified her. This was
the evil prince she thought she had dreamed up—Nicolas.

The thought of her murderous, leading man jumping off the
pages and becoming real forced her into a panic. An intense urge to run swept
over her. She needed to get away from him. Now.

The word slipped off her lips like a tortured whine.
"Shit…" When he turned her way, she quickly looked down. She could
feel the tears stinging her eyes. Her heart raced as she tried not to make eye
contact with the Count again.

"Of course, Master." The guard bowed to Chase and
opened the door.

Speaking in a mousey voice, Ashleigh's eyes were focused on
the ground, "Excuse me." She rolled her shoulders inward and squeezed
ahead of them. Some of the men glared at her, but she didn't look at them.
Instead, she ran toward the back room.

Aiden stood up from his seat at the Council's table, a giant
smirk filling his lips as he turned to the Count. "Your grace, what brings
you—?"

"The girl." Chase's voice was stern. He didn't
look friendly, his angry eyes burning into Aiden's.

"Councilman
Vessling
?"
Aiden sat down and motioned for Anthony to speak.

"We were just speaking of the matter." Anthony
stood and briefly glanced toward the room into which Ashleigh had disappeared.

Ashleigh shut the door to block out the conversation and
jogged over to Caleb, who was lying on the table. He was whining as his father
tapped a wet cloth over his bare back. His skin was blooded and ripped.

Lucas quickly turned to Ashleigh. "What are you doing
here?"

"Caleb…" Her slender fingers covered her lips as
she slowly advanced. She grabbed a chair and sat at his side. "Are you all
right?" Her hand reached up to his face, her touch lightly kissing the
surface of his skin.

"Yeah." Caleb managed to laugh, but it was a
forced one. The smile that followed was coated in tears. "I'll be fine.
Why'd you come here?" He gazed into her sad eyes as his bottom lip
quivered. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"I had to." She leaned forward and gave him a
quick kiss. Then, she turned to Lucas. "Some big shot is here—maybe you
should go out and see."

"What?" Lucas studied her suspiciously then went
back to what he was doing. His large hands were gentle as he cared for his son.
Though his voice didn't show it, Ashleigh noticed the glassy surface of Lucas'
eyes and knew he had been crying. "Big shot?"

"Your grace… That's what you call a Count, right?"

"Damn it…" Closing his eyes for a few seconds,
Lucas tried to calm himself. When he had, he quickly motioned for Caleb to sit
up.

Caleb moaned as he did so reluctantly. He squeezed
Ashleigh's hand so tightly her knuckles turned a whitish hue. His voice was
whiney and strained. "Fuck that hurts."

"I thought you would learn last time this happened not
to disobey the Council again." Lucas motioned for Ashleigh to help him
bandage Caleb's back. "This is not your fault, Caleb."

Ashleigh sniffled. There was a great anger in her soft words,
"It's that bastard Aiden's—"

"Now, stop blaming people." Lucas began wrapping
gauze around Caleb's middle to hold the giant piece he had placed over Caleb's
back. "That's not going to help, right now."

"Oh, Caleb…" Ashleigh grabbed Caleb's arm and
looped hers in it. She was sobbing now, unable to hold back the guilt she bore.
"This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." Her fingers hooked into his.
She now wore her engagement ring that Caleb had had custom made, something she
hadn't done for the past few months.

"It's fine. I told you…" Caleb laughed as he
turned his head to her. His free hand reached up to her face and cradled her
cheek. "I've been through this before. No sweat." His thumb wiped
away some of her hot tears, the tips of his fingers disappearing under the brim
of her hat. "It's all good, I promise." He picked up their joined
hands and kissed hers. "So, don't cry. You know me. I can handle a little
pain."

"I'll be right back." Lucas spoke to them, but
neither was listening. Shaking his head, Lucas let out a tired sigh and left
the room.

"I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms loosely
around Caleb's neck. Her words were choked as she continued to cry. "This
is all my fault."

"No," Caleb cooed to her, closing his eyes as he
took a few deep breaths. He was in a lot of pain, but he was hiding it well.
"Come on, don't cry."

He leaned forward and began kissing her. His action was
slow, his kisses tender and weak. He wasn't the playful Caleb he usually was,
the loss of blood making him dizzy and slightly disorientated.

"Caleb?" She pulled away from him and studied his
worn out expression. She pushed up her coat to reveal her bare arm, the weaved
friendship bracelets on her wrists bouncing with her action. She presented her
fisted hand, her palm facing upward. Her words were soft. "Do you want to
drink from me?"

"I—" He regarded her strangely. His gaze went from
her arm slowly up to her eyes.

"It's okay. I just ate." She forced a smile as she
sniffled back her tears. "Please." She pushed her lips together
firmly as she tried not to cry. Glancing briefly toward the door when she heard
several footsteps, she chose to ignore them and turn her attention back to
Caleb. "Take it. Vampire blood is stronger than human blood. It'll help
you get better faster."

His voice was barely audible as he observed to her.
"Okay." Bringing her wrist to his open lips, he readied himself to
bite her.

When she felt his bite, she closed her eyes and gritted her
teeth. Caleb gently rubbed her shoulder, and she tried to focus on that
sensation instead. Big tears fell from her tightly closed lids, a small hiss
escaping her lips. Her head turned to the side as she fought the urge to cry
out.

"Ashleigh." Lucas' voice was soft, and the sound
made Ashleigh open her eyes.

She glanced at the men standing in the doorway. Her eyes
tried to avoid the Count's, so they fell on Lucas instead. Swallowing the lump
in her throat, her nose wrinkled upwards.

"Caleb," Lucas’ voice rose slightly,
"Stop."

Caleb slowly pulled away. He licked his lips as he stared at
Ashleigh. A grateful smirk graced his face, that bad boy spark returning to his
eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, leaving a bloodied mark on her
skin. "Thanks, babe. I feel a lot better now."

Looking at her love was so much easier than glancing over at
the Count's angry face. She could feel his eyes on her and seemed to be able to
sense his expression without having to look.

Putting her wrist to mouth, she sipped some of her own
blood. She had told Caleb she had just eaten, but that was a lie. She was
starving. Her eyes went to the Count's as she sniffled back her tears. She
wasn't strong enough to share her blood, and she was on the verge of passing
out.

"Hey," Caleb laughed. He reached over, grabbed a
piece of gauze near him, and put it on her wound. "Let me help with
that." His voice quickly took hold of all of her attention, and Ashleigh
turned to him and sent him a sweet smile.

"Caleb." Lucas’ voice was more commanding. His
brow lowered as he tried to get his son's attention once more.

"Yeah?" Caleb glanced at him then at the Count. He
didn't know who any of the men were. After taking a few seconds to scan their
angry expressions, Caleb's suspicious eyes turned to Lucas. "What's
up?"

"Here." Ashleigh quickly stood and handed Caleb
his shirt. "Let me help you. I should go, so they can talk to you.
Nathan's probably freaking out that I snuck out, anyway. He's such a girl about
stuff like that." She leaned forward and gave Caleb a quick kiss.
"I'll see you later."

She pulled down on the brim of her hat and tried to slide
past the Count and the others, but they wouldn't move from the doorway.
"Umm…" She bumped into the solid mass that was the Count. This made
her quickly look up, her perfectly painted eyes avoiding his and turning to Lucas
instead. "Master Mason? What's going on?" She was scratching at the
bandage on her wrist. Her head was reeling, but she was trying to play it off.

"I'm hungry." The Count spoke, the tone so deep it
sliced through her like a knife. He had an amazing voice, suave and smooth, yet
commanding and powerful. He sent her a very excited grin when he saw her fear.
It revealed his large fangs. "I wish for you to feed me as well." He
grabbed her arm and squeezed her bandaged wrist. The action made her wince and
let out a small hiss.

Caleb quickly hopped off the table. "Hey." His
brow was lowered, a challenging tone to his voice as he advanced on the Count.
"Stop it."

"Caleb." His father pulled him back and whispered
in his ear, "That's the Count. Watch your words."

Ashleigh tried to pull away from the Count, her scared eyes
begging as they connected with Caleb's. When she pulled again, the Count
squeezed her wrist tighter. This quickly got her attention. She spoke in a
pleading tone, "I can't feed you." She gazed into his face, his
intense emerald eyes burning into hers. She could see his anger. "I'm
starving. I—"

"She's not some donor. That's my girl." Caleb
didn't heed his father's warning. His hand motioned toward Ashleigh.
"Leave her alone." Lucas tried to grab for him, but Caleb artfully
dodged his father. Caleb grabbed Ashleigh's arm and yanked on it as he tried to
pull her away from Count. "I'll go and find you something to eat, your
grace. Don't hurt her."

"Hurt her?" The Count raised his hand, a powerful
breeze shooting from his palm and knocking Caleb to the ground. Caleb groaned,
the wounds on his back stinging. He struggled to get to his feet, but kept
falling to his knees.

"Caleb!" Ashleigh tried to escape, but the Count
took a firmer hold on her. Her voice was wet and shrill, "Caleb!"

The Count pulled her out of the room, Ashleigh frantically
struggling to get away. Her fight was making her weak, and her vision had
gotten so blurry she could hardly see. The Count could feel her weakness, but
he didn't acknowledge it.

He took her to a limo waiting for them outside. The Count
was rough with her and tossed her inside. Her body slid across the slick,
leather seats and slammed into the door. The Count entered after her.

"You," He yanked her to him. "Will be
punished for being unfaithful to me."

"Caleb's my fiancé. I wasn't—" Her words were
halted when the Count grabbed a generous chunk of her hair. A high-pitched
yipe
escaped her lips as she tried to remove his grip.

He leaned close to her ear as she whimpered. He whispered, his
words like liquid ice being poured inside and numbing her entire body.
"What vile words you spill. After tonight, his blood will never linger in
your taste. You will become mine…completely." He ripped the hat from her
head. "You unfaithful whore!"

Leaping forward, he slammed her body against the window. His
fangs embedded into the soft flesh of her neck. She belted out a mighty scream,
her hands frantically trying to pry him off. His bite was excruciating, and he
wasn't letting up. He bit at her repeatedly, and with each new plunge of his
fangs, she screamed louder. Soon, she passed out.