Within The Shadows (25 page)

I saw the
desperation in his eyes. Although they were red, I saw what was
left of his humanity in them. I held his hand, squeezing tight. “I
give you my word, Sergei.”

He helped me
out of the small room, and through a long hallway that led us up
some narrow winding stairs.

“
Are you able
to climb these?” he whispered in my ear.

I nodded,
conserving my energy for the steep climb. As we proceeded up, I
fought the pain that began to consume me. I could feel the burning
sensation that blazed over my back as I took each step. Breathing
through the pain, I whimpered as I held tight onto Sergei. He
carefully helped me up each step, and finally, we were at the
top.

“
Rest a
little,” he said.

I refused,
shaking my head. “No! I want Leonid!”

We moved
on
through a series of corridors that
reminded me of the tunnels of the shadow world. Coming to a stop
outside large double mahogany doors, Sergei knocked. As we waited,
moonlight began to shine in through the two small windows in the
back wall.

The doors
opened. Leonid was obviously surprised, but I was pretty sure he
was glad to see me. As Sergei helped me into the room, Leonid took
my other arm, and led me to his bed. Cautiously, the pair laid me
down gently, aware of the pain I was in. I grimaced as my back made
contact with the mattress.

“
Shush, don’t
fight it,” Leonid whispered.

Closing my
eyes, I stopped fighting, and tried to relax. Before Sergei left, I
motioned him to me. I took his hand and begged, “Leonid, promise me
you’ll protect him. Do this for me . . . and . . . I’ll never . .
.” My words failed me as I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

I do not
know how long I slept, but when I awoke, I felt more alive than I
had done for weeks. The nausea had settled, and I was finally
beginning to get my appetite back. The tightness of my back had
loosened, and I was able to stand up on my own without Leonid’s
help. He watched me as I took small steps towards the bathroom. I
wanted to wash, and get rid of the feel of blood across my skin. It
made me feel dirty, and reminded me of Alex’s violent
attack.

“
What do you
think you’re doing?” Leonid asked as I began to run a
bath.

“
I stink, and I feel disgusting. I just want to feel a
little normal again,” I remarked sarcastically as I poured some
cream soap under the running hot water.

“
Mmm, then at least let me help. You can’t get the stitching
wet.”

I cringed at
the thought of having him bathe me, but, admittedly, I needed help.
I was not yet one hundred percent, and I knew I had to swallow my
pride.

“
Okay!
But don’t look! Turn your
back so I can get in.”

He smiled,
and nodded. He was so different, and so gentle. He never once made
me feel like some dumb school girl who got knocked up. I think he
respected me.

I slid into
the warm, soapy water, and relished the feeling as the stains of
blood washed off of me. He gently sponged water over the edges of
my back, being careful not to wet the stitches. My hair felt awful,
but because of the stitching, I was unable to wash away the dried
blood.

Once much of
the blood had been washed away, Leonid helped me to my feet, and
wrapped the towel around me. My stomach rumbled, and I knew he
could hear the loud noises of hunger. Flustered, I
cringed.

“
Are you
hungry?” he asked.

“
Err,
famished, actually.”

I stood, and
looked at him as he smiled down at me. His fangs glistened in the
bright light of the bathroom. His scent was delicious, and I craved
it so badly. The longer he stood there, the thirstier I became. As
he moved in closer to me, his aroma grew more intense.

Instantly, a
buzz of excitement ran through me.
I
wanted to drink from him so very much. I wanted to feel his warm
blood sink into me, and satisfy the burning desire. I wanted to
consume every inch of him.

He pulled me
gently into his arms, and placed his lips on mine. The touch was
like velvet. As I kissed him back, I savoured the taste of him. His
breath was like a cyclone. It made my head spin in circles, and the
air between us was hot.

Slowly, he
eased out of our embrace, and looked uncomfortable. I did not want
him to stop. I wanted more. As I tried to resume, he rejected me,
and walked away.

A mixture of
emotions ran through me. My increasing longing for him confused me.
I knew it was not love, but deep down inside I wanted to be his
only love. Where this was coming from I had no idea, but at that
moment, I was willing to give it a try. If I could not have Marc,
then at least I could have Leonid.

“
What’s
wrong?” I asked as I followed him into the bedroom.

He looked
sombre. “It would be wrong of me to take advantage of you while you
are unwell.”

“
If I didn’t
want you to, don’t you think I would have said
something?”

“
Giselle, I will not engage in any form of intimacy with you
while you carry my son’s child.”

I was
completely taken aback, and sat on the edge of the bed. “But why? I
don’t understand,” I whispered.

“
It would be
wrong.”

“
Oh, great, a vampire with morals!”

“
It would not feel right to me. Others would have no problem
taking advantage of you, but I want more than others seek,” he said
with sorrow in his voice.

“
So, you mean to tell me that you are willing to abstain
from sex with me for another seven months? You’re a man. You’ll get
it from somewhere. Guys always do. You’ll return to Atarah, and
I’ll be left alone again. You will forget about me!” I shouted at
him as I walked into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind
me.

Several
minutes passed before he spoke to me. “Atarah is no longer my
concern. I am through with her. Giselle, I don’t mean to reject
you.” His voice echoed through the door.

“
Then don’t. You can’t make me feel like this, and then do
nothing.”

“
Truth be told, there is nothing stopping me from breaking
down this door, and taking you right now, but because I have
certain feelings for you. I refuse to follow that primal urge.” His
voice was soft and broken.

I opened the
door, and looked into his red eyes. “What?”

“
I have fallen in love with you, and I would travel to the
edge of the world for you.”

Without a
second thought, I fell into his arms, and held him tight. His arms
closed around me, and he held me tightly against his
chest.

“
I think I love you, too,” I whispered.

I had
actually said it. I could not believe what I was doing. Was I
really falling for him, and, if I was, what about Marc?

Of course,
these thoughts had to be pushed to the back of my mind when Atarah
walked in. She peered at me as if I was nothing, and I could see
the hate in her eyes. She was evil, and she was wearing it well
today.

“
Getting rather cosy, I see,” she spat, running her long
fingernails across the wall as she walked closer to us.

“
What do you
want, Atarah?” Leonid asked, shielding me from her gaze.

“
Oh, darling Leo, you know what I want. It only happens to
be in your, what should I call her, um . . . Oh, yes, your little
concubine.” She laughed. “That child is to be mine, so don’t get
too comfortable, Giselle. I will take what belongs to
me.”

Anger welled
inside me, and before Leonid could hold me back, I stood in front
of her, staring hard into her beautiful, cold face. “You will never
take my baby from me. I will see you dead before my child is
corrupted by you or Alex. I swear to you now, if you come anywhere
near me again, I’ll rip your frigging throat out. You’re nothing
but a barren, self-righteous bitch.”

Her eyes
widened, but before she could strike me, Leonid caught her arm, and
pushed her back towards the door. “For over a century I sat back,
and allowed you your freedom. I gave you everything you ever
needed, and for what? To have you scheme behind my back, and
corrupt the mind of my only child. I have awoken to your treachery.
Now, I fear, there is no redemption for you. I can assure you now,
that, given time, I will repay you all the wrongs you have done.
Now, leave.”

Standing in astonishment, I
watched the power surge out from Leonid as he all but carried her
out of the room.

“
You do not scare me. Remember, I know you, Leo. I know all
your little tricks. I just hope you’re ready for what is coming!”
she screeched from the corridor. “Mark my words, I will have that
child!”

Her voice
echoed in my head as I began to realise the seriousness of what was
happening. “Oh, my God, they’re going to do it, aren’t they?” I
panicked. “They’re going to take my baby!”

“
Giselle, I
will not let anything happen to you or your child,” he said
confidently.

“
How can you
be so sure?”

“
Because I
will kill them.”

Leonid meant
what he said. I could see it written on his face. He was angry, and
Atarah had aggravated him by threatening me. I knew the look he
wore upon his face. He was planning something.

“
We must leave at once,” he said. “Get dressed. I will be
back shortly.”

He left the
room before I had the chance to say anything else. I knew I was
healing, but I was not so sure about travelling again, and I
certainly did not want to go back to the Kerguelen
Islands.

My stomach
churned as waves of heat and dizziness overcame me. I had thought
they were long gone, but now the nausea depleted me of the energy I
had conserved. I vomited into the waste bin, and continued until it
felt as though the lining of my stomach had all but been removed. I
sat back against the wooden panelled wall, and waited for the
moment to pass.

Gradually,
the room stopped spinning. The heat that had overcome me began to
die, leaving my skin clammy and sticky. I hesitated to move, at
first, wary of the sickly feeling taking over again. In spite of
myself, I got to my feet. I carefully pulled on a pair of black
jeans, and cautiously pulled a pink jumper over my head, trying my
best not to let the material rub against the stitching. It hurt,
but the pain was bearable.

By the time
I had dressed myself, and fixed my hair into a loose braid, Leonid
had returned, along with Antoine who always seemed to turn up
whenever there was a crisis. He seemed his usual jovial self, but I
could see the worry etched on his face. They both exchanged a wary
look, and I knew things were getting serious.

“
Okay . . . What’s going on?” I asked, folding my
arms.

“
Whatever could be wrong, sweet Princess? You have two fine
men at your disposal. If something were to arise, believe me, we
are more than ready for action,” Antoine remarked as he peered out
of the window.

“
Bylun is waiting, and I assured him we wouldn’t be long,”
Leonid said as he helped me to my feet, not that I needed help.
After all, I had successfully dressed myself on my own.

“
Has
something happened?”

“
Giselle, we
must leave now,” Leonid beckoned.

“
Not until
you tell me why.”

“
Now is not the time for stubbornness. We have minutes
before they come,” he replied as he coaxed me towards the
door.

“
Who’s coming? Leonid, who is coming?” I begged.

“
The gluttons. The Nelapsi young.”

The name
resonated through my head. Alex had told me about them when I had
first come to Armenia, but something about the name, and the
reactions in both Leonid and Antoine sent warning signals rushing
to my brain. I knew, then, that things were going to get bad, real
bad.

Chapter Twenty-One

WE RUSHED
THROUG
blacked out tunnels where I could
hear the sounds of dripping water, and the rush of tiny feet
beneath me. My hand remained firmly clutched by Leonid’s as he led
the way. Behind me, Antoine followed, steadying me whenever my feet
let me down. Neither of them spoke. Because of the seriousness of
the situation, I refused to utter a word. I was frightened for
myself, and for my unborn child.

We came to a
stop in the darkness, and, all of a sudden, a ball of light hurt
the back of my eyes, making me squint. Antoine held out his hand,
and in his palm sat a small, round ball. Its flame had a subtle
orange glow, and gave me enough light to see the steel door in
front of us.

“
Where are
we?” I whispered.

“
At the
foothills of the mountain,” Leonid answered as he pushed hard
against the door.

“
Bylun is on the other side waiting for us,” Antoine said
casually as he held the flame up closer to me.