Within The Shadows (20 page)

“
Don’t. Just don’t,” I interrupted him, raising a finger,
and scowling.

Laughing, he
walked up to the door, and held it open for me. “Ladies first.” He
gestured.

“
Gee,
thanks,” I said as I walked past him.

He was still chuckling to
himself when we reached the main corridor of the house.

We passed
rows of doors on our right as we moved further up the house.
Stopping outside the last door, he knocked, and a woman’s voice
answered.

“
Come!”

Antoine
smiled at me. “It’s showtime!”

“
What?” I sputtered, as he opened the door.

“
I’m joking. Just a little present from Leonid.”

At first, I
did not get it, but when I walked in to the room I soon realised it
was a feeding suite. A young woman sat on a leather two-seat
settee. She was blonde with piercing blue eyes. She was slightly
plump, but she looked healthy, and her calm demeanour helped ease
my own uncertainties.

“
My name is Nikita. I will be your source tonight,” she said
in a sultry Russian voice.

“
Oh! Um, are you sure?” I asked.

“
But of course. Anything for his Highness,” she
replied.

Antoine gave
another mocking bow, and left the room. I stepped towards her, and
noticed bruising on the side of her neck. She had obviously engaged
in feedings before, but I wondered how pure her essence was,
none-the-less. She looked no more than thirty. I was pretty sure I
had seen her previously, but then again, it might have been just
another moment of déjà vu.

“
You know what will happen once I drink from you?” I
inquired. I was worried she had been coerced into this, and I hated
the thought of drinking from someone who did not know about the
lasting effects.

“
My Lady, I am well aware of what will happen to my soul,
but I have much to look forward to. I will be turned if I do this
for my master.” She smiled at me.

“
Turned? Oh . . . Oh!” I was shocked. She was willing to
give up her humanity for me.

“
Do not look so startled. I know what I am doing, and I long
for my eternal life.”

“
But . . .” She cut me off before I could finish.

“
Please. Don’t make this any harder for yourself. Drink from
me, and we both get what we want.”

Without
being pressed any further, I sat beside her, and placed my hands on
hers. She took a deep breath as I looked into her eyes. I could
sense her innocence, and it felt good. I moved my face closer, and
let my lips brush against hers.

Instantly, I
could feel her life flow into me.
The
essence was invigorating, and it penetrated deep within me. A light
was being switched on inside, and I felt alive. The power left me
feeling invincible, and I am pretty sure I glowed. As I pulled back
from her, she gasped. Her eyes seemed vacant, and her breathing was
rapid.

“
Nikita?” I called her name. “Nikita, wake up.”

She did not
reply.
The only sound was the rattling
noise that came from the back of her throat. Her eyes slowly glazed
over and rolled back, and it was then that I screamed.

I ran to the
other side of the room still screaming. Pulling at my hair, I
started to sob. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and my stomach turned.
I was sick on the red rug, and had no control over the retching
that followed. Antoine burst into the room, and realised what had
happened. He called for Mariella, who came running in with a team
of men. She looked at me, and shook her head.

“
I told you
she was too inexperienced to be left alone,” she hissed at
Antoine.

He looked
over at me, pity in his eyes. “She was not to know. It happened.
Deal with it.”

He came over
to my side, and handed me his handkerchief. I rubbed my mouth
clean, and got to my feet. Still sobbing, I could not find the
words to speak. I could only look at Nikita’s corpse with horror. I
became aware of the fact that I was the one responsible for her
death.

I ran from
the room, and down the long, dimly lit corridor until I came to the
large oak door at the bottom of some steps. Pushing it open, I ran
from the house. I kept going until I came to the edge of the
makeshift road that led up to the house.

I stood
shivering in the cold night air as the rain pounded down hard on
me. Without a second thought, I ripped the charmed necklace Antoine
had given me from my throat, and threw it into the dirt. I cried
uncontrollably as my eyes burned from the harsh wind that blew in
my face. I fought through my anger and despair, and continued on.
The further I ran, the more distant the house became. Breathless, I
came to a halt at the shoreline.

The wind
howled as it strengthened, and squally snow hit against me, leaving
me chilled to the bone. My damp clothes clung to me as I shivered.
Looking around, I could hardly make out the cliffs behind me. The
house was now a dot in the distance. Shock began to set in, and,
giving up, I fell onto the muddy ground below me. I held onto
myself, shaking and crying. I had no more strength to run back to
safety, and now I accepted the fact that I would die out here, cold
and alone.

At first, I
did not hear the whispers. I only heard the wind whistling in my
ears. Then the noise became more distinctive, repeating the same
thing over and over. I looked around me, trying to see who was
there with me. Yet I stared into nothingness.

Darkness.

“
Who’s
there?” I called out.

Nothing.
Just the same incoherent voice calling me.

“
Giselle.”

My name was
called.
Straining my eyes, I saw no one,
only the small flecks of snow falling in front of me. Panic set in
as I scrambled to my feet, falling twice as I tried to find my
balance on the increasingly slippery ground.

“
Can you hear me?” The voice became louder and
clearer.

“
Yes,” I
answered, breathless.

“
Can you see me?” It spoke again.

I struggled
to try to see who it was. “No! I can’t.” I panicked.

“
You should. I’m right in front of you.”

It was then
that the glow of yellow eyes became clear in front of me. I could
see nothing else but them. They began to multiply. All around me,
shadows emerged from nowhere, their eyes glowering at me. I could
feel hands pull and tug at me. Looking back towards the house, I
saw it begin to fade. I screamed, but it was too late. The darkness
had come for me, and it swallowed me whole. I stood in darkness,
surrounded by shadows, each one screaming for my soul.

Chapter
Sixteen

I FELT AS
IT
if I were floating through space. I
had no control of my limbs, and my voice remained soundless. I
could make no sense of where I was falling, but one thing I was
sure of, I was not alone.

They watched
intently as I panicked. There was nothing for me to grab a hold of.
Instead, I fell into what seemed like a bottomless pit.

I found it
hard to breathe. The air was stale, and the stench of death burned
at the back of my throat. With a jolt, I found myself standing in
the centre of a small room. A wooden bed was pressed up against a
wall. Bars formed the shape of a door in front of me, and the echo
of screams tormented me.

I thought I
was in Hell.

I felt totally dejected.

Would I be trapped here forever
in this demonic existence?

Sitting down
on the bed, I waited for someone or something
, but no one came. I have no idea how long I sat there,
whether it was minutes, or hours, or even days. I lost all sense of
time, and felt like I would finally lose my mind.

Out of
nowhere, it appeared in front of me like a cloud of darkness, only
this was in the shape of a man. His eyes glowed a frightening shade
of yellow, and immediately, I closed my eyes, trying to avert my
gaze. I did not want to stare into the abyss any longer.

“
We have been patient,” it slurred. “Now, the time has come
for you to complete your phase.”

Confused, my
eyes burst open. More eyes stared at me, their features
non-existent. “What do you want from me?” I asked, trying not to
let fear fill my words.

“
You and the child,” it hissed.

“
Me? My . . . child? I don’t have a child.”

Laughing,
the glowing eyes came close to my face, and I could feel its hand
rest on my abdomen. “Mmm, only time will tell.” He looked down from
my face, and rested his eyes on my chest. Looking back up at me, he
sneered. “But of course, we have ways of finding out, and, believe
me, chosen one or not, you will wish death rather than have one of
my minions have his way with you.”

Their
laughter bellowed through my ears. I screamed, and continued doing
so until my voice was raw. I was left alone in their world with no
one else to turn to. I begged Lilith to bring me some kind of
peace. She owed me that much. If I was to die here, I wanted it to
be at her hands, and not at the hands of the creatures of the
damned.

“
Goddess Lilith, I beg of you, please, open the channels,
and set my soul free. If I am to die, be it your will. Open the
gates, and carry me home!” I chanted over and over.

“
Your words will do you no good, you know!” A voice came
from beyond the barred door.

Walking up
to the doorway, I peered out into the darkness. There was nothing
there. I stood there for a few moments, holding my breath, trying
to make out noises, or anything that gave me a clue as to where it
was.

“
It’s scary, isn’t it? The darkness?” the voice spoke
again.

“
Who are
you?” I whispered.

“
I am nothing. I am just an echo from the past, and a dot in
the future.”

The words
scared me. “Don’t say that. I think I’m depressed
enough.”

“
The darkness will drink you up. Every last bit of you will
succumb to it. Of course, that will only happen once you have given
birth.”

Shaking my
head in protest, I shouted, “I won’t be having a kid, okay! Not
here, not ever!”

“
I beg to differ. I believe the hands of fate have already
begun to work.”

He slowly
appeared before me
. My eyes widened as I
stared at Afanas.

“
What the . . . ? Oh, my God . . . How?” I yelled at him,
astonished by his presence.

“
Questions, questions, questions. My dearest Giselle, must
you always be so impertinent?” he asked through gritted teeth. “You
should be thanking me.”

“
What? Are you serious?” I bellowed.

“
They wanted to kill you straight away, but as always, I
used my powers to great effect. I managed to put your execution on
hold. For the time being, anyway.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly
delighted with himself.

“
But why, Afanas? I thought you were my friend, someone I
could count on,” I cried.

“
Who is to
say that I am not?” he questioned.

“
But this place . . .”

“
Ah, yes. This isn’t the standard you are accustomed to,
but, rest assured, things will change.”

My legs
finally gave in, and I fell onto the cold, damp floor. “I just
don’t get it. Why are you even here?”

“
Because it was I who summoned the shadows to take you, to
infect you with their darkness, hence the increasing mark on your
breast. Unfortunately, I misunderstood the importance of you and
your newly found powers. I cannot say for sure that my plan to save
you will work, but I can promise you this, you will not bring your
child into this world.”

“
But I’m not pregnant!” I began.

“
Dear sweet Princess, the seed has been planted. I can smell
the scent of new life growing within you.” He paused, and looked at
me, his eyes a deep crimson. “Of course, we don’t want ‘them’ to
discover this just yet. However, you will not be able to disguise
your growing body for much longer.”

“
No, this cannot be happening. I had my period, and, well,
me and Leonid, you know, only did it the once.” I was embarrassed
by my revelation, and I could see the surprise on Afanas’s
face.

“
Ah, so it is true. Your union was consummated.
Never-the-less, you are with child. That is something you cannot
deny, and, given time, your body will allow you the luxury of
feeling that life grow within you.” He was serious.

“
What about Alex? He’s going to be pretty pissed with us
both,” I said as I held onto the bars of my cell.

“
Indeed, his Lordship will be most angry. And I dare say, he
will figure it out. He will find you, Giselle, but until then, I
shall try to keep you safe.” He turned to leave.

“
Afanas, one
last thing,” I called after him.

“
Yes?”