Within The Shadows (18 page)

I did not
know what was becoming of my heart and mind, but one thing I was
sure of was my desire to run, to run away from everything. Knowing
that I was soon to climb between the sheets with my so-called
‘father-in-law’, I hesitantly began to pray to the Goddess. It was
crazy, I know, but desperate times call for desperate
measures.

Closing my
mind to the present, I called Lilith forth, begging her for
guidance and strength. My hand held on tight to the charm Antoine
had given me, and with pure grit, I pleaded.

“
Goddess Lilith, help me. Keep me patient and strong. Help
me to trust your wisdom, and resist the coward’s way,” I muttered
to myself as the car moved forward.

Antoine
never asked any questions, and I was not about to tell him
anything. He read through the morning papers, mumbling to himself,
and shaking his head. The Star Tribune’s headlines caught my
attention,
Kenwood Cyclist
Dies, Children Killed Before Fire Started,
and
Youths Aged
Fifteen Arrested Over Homeless Man’s Murder.

“
Your humans have no regard for life.
They care nothing about consequence,” Antoine blurted out,
laughing. “Makes one wonder why we bother killing them when they’re
so intent on doing it themselves. Fickle little creatures, aren’t
they?” He looked at me as I scoffed at his
comment.

“
Maybe we
humans aren’t perfect like you, but we have morals,” I fought
back.

He laughed.
“Morals? Dearest Giselle, humans have long lost their moral high
ground. They are answerable to no one other than the Underlord
himself. After all the chaos they cause, is it any wonder their God
has turned his back on them? Remember, sweet Princess, you are no
longer one of them. Must I keep reminding you of that?” He was
sarcastic.

We spent the
remainder of the journey in silence. I would not give him the
satisfaction of getting into another debate. I had the feeling he
would always have the upper hand, and well, I hated losing, so it
was better to just stay quiet.

We
approached a private airstrip, east of Minneapolis-Saint Paul
airport. The car came to a stop outside a hangar. Antoine
immediately opened the door, and got out of the car. I sat back,
trying to stall the next leg of the journey.

I failed.

I was
practically pulled from the back of the car, and forced to stand
beside Antoine. We waited whilst a large man with long black hair
spoke into a cell phone. He nodded, and then ushered us
forward.

All around
me were super-sized men wearing matching black clothing. Each one
had a little earpiece, and talked into his wrist. It felt surreal.
I could not understand what all of the security was about. Though,
curiosity always got the better of me.

“
Anyone would
think you were protecting the President,” I sneered
sarcastically.

“
We may as
well be. You’re precious cargo.”

“
Me?” I asked, stunned. “Jesus Christ!”

“
Who else would need the protection of The Knights of
Cernunnos?” He was so pleased with himself. “Bearing in mind that
you are to be our vessel, we cannot afford to have any harm come
your way.”

I sighed.
“There’s that damned word again, ‘vessel.’ Can’t you come up with
something a little more original?”

“
Like?” he
asked, amused.

“
Like . . . I don’t know. The Mother of the Damned, or
something like that. Jesus, just lay off that other bullshit! It’s
starting to grate on me,” I snapped.

Laughing
loudly, he grabbed a hold of my hand. “Mother of the Damned. I like
it. Now, come. We have a long journey ahead. On the way, you can
fill me in on your little adventure last night. I do love a good
romance story.”

“
You’re sick,
you know that?” I stepped in through the cabin door.

“
I know, but you love it.” He was right, though. I loved the
way he teased me.

Complete
luxury welcomed me as I sat down in a cream reclining chair. Its
soft leather fabric moulded to the shape of my body. To the left of
the cabin was a mini theatre, a ceiling to floor flat screen TV
playing in the background. Plush green carpet ran throughout the
entire cabin. A bar stocked with all kinds of liquor took Antoine’s
attention.

He sat down
beside me, a cognac in one hand, and a vial in the other. “Just a
little something to kick-start the journey.” He smiled, and his
radiant blue eyes flashed the all too familiar shade of
scarlet.

Flight
attendants dressed in red paced frantically up and down the
aircraft, securing doors, checking drink decanters, and doing the
usual security checks of their own, watching me as they passed. I
felt myself flush every time I caught someone looking at
me.

Antoine
gazed at me. He wore a smug grin on his face as he swigged from his
crystal glass. “You know, you’ve got a particular glow about you
today. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’d say you got some
last night.”

“
You are so crass. I swear you disgust me sometimes.” I
avoided making eye contact with him as I did not want him to see
through me.

“
Ah, crass, I may be, but I, Giselle, could never disgust
you.”

He was so
irritating. “How can you be so sure?”

“
Because, unlike the others, I know things. You, my sweet
Princess, will always be in my life.”

“
Here we go again. Riddles, bloody riddles! Why can’t you
just talk to me like a normal person, and spare me the
headache?”

He chuckled,
which infuriated me further. “Where would the fun be in that?
Besides, I love the fight, this battle of wills. If anything, I
think you rather like it, too.”

Anger
flashed within me. I could feel it absorb every particle in my
body. Taking him by surprise, I pounced on him. With strength I
never knew I had, I grabbed him by his neck. The strong smell of
his scent mixed with alcohol consumed me, its odour almost knocking
me out as it filled my head.

Dizziness
rapidly followed, but, fighting back, I looked deep into his eyes,
keeping a tight hold of him
as I hissed.
“I hate you just as much as I hate Alex,” I lied. “So don’t flatter
yourself. I would never be yours in a million
lifetimes.”

He laughed
as I was pulled off him, and led to the back of the cabin like some
prisoner. “That’s my girl,” he chuckled.

“
Watch this one. She’s a loose cannon!” a tall, garish man
bellowed as I was flung into one of the many empty
seats.

Sitting
there alone gave me plenty of time to think. My mother telling me
she was sick kept playing over and over in my mind. How could I
have been so blind? All the signs were there. I was just too caught
up in my own childish problems to notice them.

I regretted
leaving her again without any kind of explanation.
I worried that maybe I had seen my mother for
the last time, and my heart sank. She was not the easiest person to
get along with. In fact, there were times when she was downright
rude and stubborn, but she had a heart of gold, and would do
anything for me.

She was
always there to wipe the tears away. She was always the one to give
me sound advice, even when sometimes I did wonder where all her
fight came from. But, most of all, she was my best friend, someone
I could count on. Right now, all I wanted was for her to tell me
what to do in this impossible situation.

I drifted
into a dreamless sleep, and awoke to the thud of the plane landing.
I jerked myself upright, my neck aching from the position I had
been in, and wearily I rubbed my eyes.

Antoine sat
across from me. He looked brilliant, and wore his usual grin. It
annoyed the life out of me, and I wanted to restart what I had
begun earlier, but my plans were thwarted by one of the Knights of
Cernunnos.

“
Come, my lady. His Highness is waiting for you.” He spoke
eloquently.

I looked at
Antoine, waiting for him to say something, anything, that would
reassure me. Instead, he said nothing, and watched me as I was led
through the cabin and out the door.

The cold air
hit me hard in the face. The wind blew my hair angrily over my
face, and I fumbled, trying to tie it back in place. Rain pelted
down hard on me as I made my way to a waiting jeep. Slipping in a
puddle of water, I fell to the ground, landing hard on my back. I
gasped out in pain. Looking up into the overcast sky, cold rain
fell into my eyes, stinging them. I lay there motionless, just
willing my life away, ready to let go. Instead of succumbing to my
wishes, I felt warm hands lifting me up, helping me upright onto my
feet.

It was
Antoine. Worried, he looked me up and down. “You know the part
where I said you were ‘precious cargo’? I meant that quite
literally.”

“
Jeez, I only
hurt my ass.”

“
Hmm, all the
same, we can’t take risks,” he remarked sternly.

He pushed me
toward the open door of the jeep, and I climbed in, wincing in
pain. He followed, helping me as I secured my lap belt.

The island
was vast, and looked dead. Mountains and fjords passed us as we
made our way uphill. The journey was uncomfortable, and I swear I
thought my back was broken.

“
Where are
we?” I asked Antoine, who looked equally uncomfortable.

“
Somewhere
Alexander would never find you.”

“
What kind of answer is that?” I shouted over the chatter of
the two men sitting in front.

“
It’s the kind of answer that won’t land you in trouble.” He
laughed. His beautiful smile and messy hair would melt any cold
heart, but God, he was irritating.

“
Who the hell am I going to tell? It’s not as if I’ve been
given a calling card to ring home!”

“
You are persistent. We are on an island in the Southern
Indian Ocean. That’s all I’m giving away. The rest is up to
Leonid.” He folded his arms, and looked out of his
window.

To my
astonishment, a house stood out amongst the harsh terrain that
surrounded it. It was not the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,
but it was certainly a welcome sight. I longed for a hot bath, dry
clothes, and food. God, I needed food!

We pulled up
inside a purpose built garage, and like some kind of felon, I was
escorted from the vehicle, and led inside through a large oak door.
Walking in, I felt a rush of heat hit my face. Closing my eyes, I
ignored my surroundings, and the people in it. I let the warmth of
the room wrap itself around me, and soothe the dampness and
fatigue.

I sensed him
before I saw him. That same woodsy odour flowed as he got closer to
me. Opening my eyes, I felt his hand upon my cheek. Gently, he
rubbed at the coldness, and like a candle flame being relit, every
nerve came alive inside me.

“
I knew you
would come.”

He stood so
close to me. I could smell the delicious scent of his blood. I
craved it. Every hair on my body stood on end, and I knew, then, it
would not take much coaxing to get me to drink from him. Many eyes
were on me, and my obvious desire was written on my face. Blushing,
I pulled back from him, and retreated to where Antoine
stood.

“
Mariella will show you to your room,” Leonid said as he
gestured for me to follow the tall, supermodel-looking
woman.

Antoine gave
me his trademark smile, and winked at me as I followed Mariella.
Walking behind her, I felt like a frump. I was wet, cold, hungry,
and completely miserable. She was blonde with legs that seemed to
go on forever. She wore a short, tight-fitting black dress that was
cut on the bias. Her breasts were big and round, and next to me,
she looked like a goddess.

She led me
into an opulent room
, and I immediately
felt out of my depth. It was delicately decorated in black and
mulberry. A crystal chandelier hung low from the ceiling, its light
reflected off of the designs of damask flowers that spread across
the walls. A black wrought iron bed sat close to the window,
surrounded by black voiles. Mariella walked into the bathroom,
turning on the light.

“
You can freshen up. You’ll find clean clothes in your
closet. Leonid will expect you in an hour. Don’t be late,” she said
in a sultry French accent.

“
Okay,” I
feebly replied.

Walking over
to the side of the bed, I flung my backpack onto a nearby chair,
and threw myself down onto the fluffy, warm duvet. I lay there for
a few minutes before I mustered up the energy to run a bath. I
looked at the clock, and saw that it was just past four in the
afternoon. I had until five to get ready. Honestly, I was so wiped
out from everything that had happened, I was convinced I would not
be able to do anything.

Still, I
thought about the consequences
, and the
deep hunger for both food and blood overwhelmed me. I ran the bath,
and watched the bubbles foam under the steaming hot water. Dropping
the wet clothes to the floor, I stepped inside the large tub, and
sank down deep under the water.