A Shade of Vampire 10: A Spell of Time (11 page)

I
’d been expecting
Micah to keep his distance from me after that kiss. But he showed up the very next day as I swam with Griff and my girl friends on Sun Beach. He walked up to the edge of the water, fully dressed, and beckoned me over. I glanced apologetically at Griff before walking over to him. Micah’s blond hair was tied in a bun. The sides of his face were rough and unshaven.

“I was hoping you might take a walk with me,” he said softly.

“Um, okay.”

I pulled my clothes on over my bikini and followed him into the woods.
Back into the woods with the big bad wolf.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” he said, as we lost sight of the beach. “I hope it didn’t offend you.”

I felt my cheeks growing red. “It didn’t offend me.”

“I’m glad. Because I was worried. I wasn’t sure if I’d overstepped my mark. I know we haven’t known each other long.”

“It was just a peck on the cheek,” I said.
Understatement of the year.
“It’s no big deal.”

“Good… I fixed the fishing boat, by the way. It’s strong enough for two now. Can I show you?”

“Show me the fishing—?”

He caught my waist and threw me over his shoulder. He began racing through the forest.

“Micah? What are you doing?”

“Just hold on,” he said.

He stopped running once we reached the Port. He ran up to the jetty and put me down. He pointed to a small fishing boat bobbing next to the submarines. He stepped in and held out his hand.

“Allow me?”

I eyed the small boat, the slimy nets bunched in one corner.

“Where to?”

“We’ll stay within the boundaries,” he said. “I promise. I just want to show you how I fish.”

“Because my parents don’t like me straying beyond them.”

“I promise we’ll stay within them.”

Hesitating a few moments longer, I took his hand and stepped into the boat.

He clutched the oars and began moving us away.

I wasn’t sure why he was so bent on showing me how to fish. I’d never shown much interest in it. But since he kept going on about it, I decided to just humor him. I dipped my hand into the water, feeling its warmth gradually fade as we got deeper and deeper.

“You can start unraveling those nets if you want.”

Grateful for the distraction, I untangled the slimy nets and, under Micah’s direction, spread the largest one out so that it hung over the end of the boat.

I bent over the side of the boat and washed my hands in the water. Only once I’d finished the task and looked up did I realize how close we were drawing to the boundary. Micah was showing no signs of slowing down.

“Micah? What are you doing?’

His eyes were focused forward, his arm muscles tensing as he rowed faster.

“Just trust me,” he said.

“But the boundary—”

And then it was too late. We were out in the blinding sunshine. Outside the protection of the island.

I glared at Micah.

“You promised we wouldn’t leave the boundary.” My shock turned to confusion, then annoyance. “Why did you lie?”

I reached for one of the oars. Micah’s right leg shot out, kicking me beneath my knee. Something cracked and pain seared through my leg. I fell to the floor, groaning and clutching my knee to my chest.

What is happening? Why would Micah do this?

I had no time to try to recuperate from my injury. Despite still being in shock, I had to scream for help before it was too late.

“No! Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Micah stood up and roughly stuffed a piece of old rag into my mouth. I choked, the smell of rotten fish pervading my nostrils. It was all I could do to stop myself vomiting. He fastened my wrists and ankles with ropes.

I looked daggers at him, trying to read his face as he hovered over me. His eyes were expressionless. Hollow.

And then it happened. His hair began to shorten and curl at the roots. Its blond color faded and darkened. Warm hazel eyes turned pitch black. He grew taller, his shoulders broadened. Even his clothes changed—into a long black cloak and heavy leather boots.

There was no trace left of Micah in the man standing over me.

I struggled and tried to scream more desperately than ever, but it was no use. The stranger placed a long finger against his lips and gripped my forehead.

“Hush, Princess,” he said in a voice much deeper than Micah’s. “Sleep.”

W
e sat
on the edge of my father’s finest ship, dipping our feet into the shallow waters and watching the sun duck beneath the horizon. Annora rested her head on my shoulder, while I had an arm around her waist. The warm summer breeze caught her black hair, making it dance in the air. I looked down at her delicate fingers. The gemstone in her engagement ring glinted in the evening light.

I held my breath, anticipating the excitement that would shine in her beautiful eyes as soon as I told her.

“My father agreed to let us take this ship.”

She lifted her head and looked up at me, gasping.

“He really did?”

I nodded, smiling as I brushed my lips over her forehead.

“For how long?” she asked.

“Two weeks. Now you just need to decide where you’d like me to take you.”

She bit her lip, facing the sunset once again.

“Mmm. How about somewhere far away… like Asia?”

I laughed. “We could. But that really would be a long time at sea. I’m not sure my father would be willing to part with me for that long.”

She sighed, once again falling into thought. “Where do you want to take me?”

“We could stay within Europe and do a tour. Maybe start with France, work our way down to Italy, perhaps head for the Ionian Sea…”

“Just the two of us?”

“Just the two of us.”

“All right, my love. Let’s do that,” she purred. “And then after?”

“What do you mean?”

“What will we do after?” She rested her head on my lap, reaching her hand up and playfully twirling my hair in her fingers.

“I don’t know,” I said, stroking her forehead.

“Come on, Caleb,” she said, “Tell me a story.”

“A story, huh? Well, after is when our life together will really start. We’ll find a house near the shore, away from the bustle of the town, and move in together. I’ll take over managing the dock while my father retires. We’ll keep our own boat, and whenever I can afford it, we’ll take trips. I’ll build the business and train workers well enough to be able to manage without me. We’ll make time to travel the world together. We’ll go to Asia. And the Americas. And explore the North Pole. South Pole. Any Pole you want…” I paused, watching as her face grew impatient for the next part.

“And?”

“And once we’re tired of touring the world, we’ll return to our quiet house on the shore, and we’ll start a family.”

“How many children will we have?”

“Eight. Four boys and four girls.”

“What will we name them?”

I paused again to think. As always, Annora wanted details. I’d give her details. “Our first child will be a boy. His name will be Hector. Next will be Jennifer. Then Jason. William. Laina. Laurence. April. And lastly, sweet Isobel.”

“And will we travel the world again with them when they’re old enough?”

“If that’s what they want… The end.”

“But what happens next? You can’t just stop a story like that,” she said. “Not before you get to the happily ever after.”

“All right,” I said, chuckling and rolling my eyes. “And we’ll live happily for the rest of our lives. We’ll die old and wrinkly holding hands in our bed. We’ll be buried in the same grave. And the worms will digest our bodies, leaving only our bones forever entwined in the soil… Is that far enough?”

She giggled. “What if there’s an afterlife?”

“Then that would make this a very long story indeed…”

She sat up and knelt, her face level with mine. I could lose myself forever in those sparkling grey-blue eyes. Draping her arms over my shoulders, she leaned in closer. And then her sweet lips were on mine in a chaste caress. She allowed me to taste their nectar for but a moment before drawing away. Sitting back down next to me and clearing her throat, she looked around as if scared someone had seen her.

That kiss sparked a bonfire within me that only she could extinguish. I didn’t care any more whether someone saw us. Everyone in the town knew we were to be married soon. I reached for her waist and pulled her closer again. I held her head in my hands. My thumbs touched the sides of her mouth.

She shut her eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” I whispered.

Closing my lips around her mouth, I tasted her fully for the first time. A gentle blush warmed her cheeks as I pulled away.

I felt like the luckiest man in the world, and whatever lay ahead of us, I knew we’d find bliss. We’d find our story. Our happily ever after.

“Maybe that’s what ours is,” she breathed as our lips touched again. “A never-ending story.”

I
woke up in a sweat
. I looked around my room, reality returning to me.

Once I’d drained the human and downed a glass of blood, I’d returned to my room and slept. Now I hoped it wouldn’t take long to drift off again. But then I heard it. A sound I’d heard countless nights before, but somehow this night it resonated louder in my ears.

Crying. In some dark hall of the castle. The dining room, I suspected. That was Annora’s usual haunt.

I lay back in bed, closing my eyes and trying to block it out as I usually did. But I couldn’t. Every draw of breath, every wretched sob, every moan of sorrow echoed around in my head.

Groaning, I got out of bed and paced the room.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to her during her fits of sadness. It had been so long I was sure that she couldn’t remember either.

Wrapping a robe around me, I left my apartment and descended the staircase to the ground floor. My suspicion had been correct. Annora was a creature of habit and this night was no different.

I stood silently by the doorway of the dining hall as she howled into the wind, her whole body wracked with sobs.

I couldn’t help but ache at the sight of her.

Oh, Annora. What made you give up my love for pain?

It was on nights like this when she showed her humanity that I longed to ask her this question. Even though I knew the answer, I longed to ask again, hope welling within my chest that perhaps, this time, the answer would be different.

I crept into the room. She didn’t notice I’d entered until I reached out and touched her shoulder.

She jumped back, pausing to breathe, her sobs subsiding.

“Annora,” I whispered. That name. Once honey to my lips. Now poison to my heart.

She flinched as I held her hands.

“Why are you crying?”

She slipped her hands out of mine and looked out of the window again. I held her arm and forced her to face me.

“Leave me,” she said, her voice rasping.

I knew she could easily vanish if she didn’t want me in her presence. The fact that she didn’t meant that she didn’t really want me to leave.

I stood next to her by the window, sliding an arm around her waist. Tears fell afresh from her eyes.

“Why wouldn’t you answer my questions last night?” I asked. “If you help me become a Channeler, it will bring us closer. I’ll better be able to understand your needs.”

She closed her eyes, her lips trembling.

“Because I don’t want you to become like me.”

“And what is like you?”

She smiled bitterly. “You know what I am.”

“But I’ve never heard it from you. What do you think you are?”

“In pain.”

She backed away until she hit the wall at the opposite side of the chamber. She leaned her head against the stone as she bit her lip until she drew blood.

Even if Annora was back to her usual numb self tomorrow, it didn’t matter. Because I’d just seen all I needed to see. A glimmer of hope that just perhaps, somewhere deep in that black soul, the old Annora was still in there. Trapped. Needing to be rescued. But still alive.

“Caleb,” she said, her voice cracking. “Just leave me. Please… Go back to sleep.”

I finally gave in to her request. I left her alone in the chamber and returned to my apartment. But I didn’t sleep that night. Only one thought kept me awake:

I'm going to find you again, Annora. And, somehow, we’re going to pick up our story where we left off.

I
woke with renewed strength
. I wasn’t going to let Annora keep avoiding me any more. I was going to get the information I needed from her.

I went up to her apartment first thing. She refused to speak to me, so I followed her around the castle for the rest of the day. I determined to make myself as awkward as possible. Finally she snapped.

I interrupted Annora in the middle of a meeting with Stellan, who’d come to visit our island for the day to speak with her.

Ignoring Stellan, I barged in and made a beeline for Annora. I marched up to her in the center of the room and sat down on the tabletop, blocking her view of Stellan. She looked up at me irritably and tugged on my shoulder, trying to move me. I didn’t budge. Of course she could have used her magic to get rid of me, but she didn’t.

“I’ll leave you alone as soon as you give me what I want.”

“What? I already gave you a name. Stop pestering me, for God’s sake.”

I turned around and eyed Stellan, who glared back at me. Annora took the cue and scowled. “Get out, Stellan. I’ll talk to you after I’m done with Caleb.”

Stellan got up slowly, threw me another dark look, and stalked out of the room.

“Take me to Lilith.”

“I told you, Caleb—”

“I may decide not to turn,” I said.

She looked at me dubiously. “Lilith is not the type of person whose time is available to waste. If you go, she’s going to expect something in return.”

Again I burned to ask what Lilith actually was, but right now it was hard enough getting Annora to agree to take me, let alone entertain more of my questions.

“I’ll deal with Lilith,” I said. “You don’t even need to come in. I’ll speak to her alone.” I squeezed Annora’s arm. “Do this and I won’t bother you again, I swear.”

Annora let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair, rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers. She cast me a long lingering glance, and I swore I saw worry behind her eyes. “All right. I’ll take you to see her.”

“I want to leave now.”

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. “I need to finish speaking to Stellan. Then we’ll decide when to do this.”

I slammed my hand down on the table, making her jump. “We leave the moment you are finished with him. All right?”

She glowered at me but didn’t protest.

I stalked out of the room to see Stellan waiting impatiently outside, shuffling from one foot to the other. He had obviously been eavesdropping. He walked in the room after me. I returned to my quarters upstairs to grab anything I might need. I had no idea what might be on the other side, so I grabbed a wooden stake and a knife and fastened them to my belt.

Then I returned downstairs, and since I couldn’t hear talking, I assumed Stellan had left already. I pushed the door open.

Annora waited at the table for me and stood up when I entered. She grimaced as I fastened a cloak around me.

All traces of worry I’d seen in her eyes were gone now, replaced with resignation—something that was both relieving and off-putting.

“Follow me,” she said.

We left the chamber and crossed the entrance hall until we reached another hall on the opposite side.

She headed straight for the Chinese carpet in the corner and tugged it across the floor to reveal an old trapdoor. It creaked open as she pulled and we descended into the depths of a dungeon. This was not a room that I had frequented many times throughout my time here on the island, for I rarely travelled back to the supernatural realm—I didn’t have permission, for one thing. None of us vampires did. We had to obtain special authority from Annora if we wanted to return for some reason. But now that I was down here again, it looked the same as it always had. I inched over to the edge of the starry crater as Annora bolted the door above us.

I looked at her and she nodded. I dove into the hole, and felt her jump through seconds after me.

We both landed on a stone floor. Another dungeon. We both got to our feet and walked toward the exit that led to a flight of stairs. We climbed them and appeared in a kitchen filled with sharp utensils and black cauldrons.

I spotted an old witch in the corner, stirring deep red liquid that I was sure was blood—human blood from the smell of it. She began chopping up what looked suspiciously like a human torso.

“Annora?” She turned and looked at both of us in surprise, her eyebrows raised. She put the blood down and tucked her gray-streaked black hair behind her ears.

“Isolde, I’m sorry for arriving like this unexpectedly. But I need to pay a visit to Lilith.”

Isolde’s eyes widened even further as they travelled from me to Annora. “Whatever for?”

Annora glared at me. “Caleb would like to become one of us.”

Isolde looked incredulous enough to laugh. “He wants to become a Channeler?”

“Yes,” I said, butting in.

“No,” Annora said quickly, “There’s no way he’d be ready for that yet. He just wants to become a warlock, at least at first.”

They were talking about me as though I wasn’t present. Still, I didn’t mind as long as Annora convinced Isolde to allow us to proceed toward wherever Lilith resided in this supernatural realm.

“Don’t waste Lilith’s time,” Isolde said sternly, looking at me. “Her energy is limited, especially these days.”

Annora gripped my arm before Isolde could say another word and led me out of the dark kitchen. We walked through to an entrance hall, very much similar to that of my own castle, and exited the building through a large oak door. We descended a set of steps overlooking an endless ocean. The waves lapped precariously close to the base of the castle.

“So Lilith doesn’t live on this island?” I asked.

“No. She lives a few hundred miles away. There’s a gate linking her island to the human realm I suppose we could have traveled through. But I wanted to warn Isolde what we were doing first. Now, no more questions. Just follow me.”

I followed Annora forward and as we reached the edge of a rock, she said, “Close your eyes.”

I did as I was told and we both vanished from the spot. We hurtled through air at the speed of light. Our feet hit solid ground a few moments later.

I opened my eyes to find myself standing on a large black boulder. Above us was the entrance to a cave. I looked up and down the pebbly beach we’d appeared on. There wasn’t any sign of life other than a group of vultures that circled overhead. I looked down at Annora who was now looking directly at the cave.

“So this is it? This is where Lilith lives?”

“Just follow,” Annora said through gritted teeth. I noted how much heavier her breathing had suddenly become as we neared the entrance.

I’d expected a more salubrious abode for such a renowned witch. At least a castle of some sorts. I found it hard to believe that she could be living in this damp cave.

Annora led me forward, deeper and deeper, until we reached a door. As soon as she placed her fingers on the handle, it clicked and swung open. The next chamber was dimly lit by lanterns that hung from the walls, unlike the pitch-black chamber we’d just left.

We walked for several minutes hearing nothing but our echoing footsteps. After this winding tunnel we reached another oak door. Annora reached out once again, her hand now shaking. I gripped her shoulders and turned her to face me. Her face was pale and sweaty, her lips tightly pursed.

“Just let me in, you can stay here,” I said.

She shook her head. “I’ll come with you,” she said, her voice hoarse.

Although I didn’t want her in the same room as Lilith and me while we had our conversation, clearly now wasn’t the time to argue. Once I’d come face to face with Lilith, I’d be in more of a position to ask Annora to leave.

She unlocked the door and, as I stepped forward through the door and into an odd circular chamber, I was immediately overwhelmed by the stench. Something dead and rotten, like decaying flesh. The smell was intensified tenfold thanks to the lack of air in this dim room.

The dusty floor sloped downward, leading toward a strange dark pool in the center of the chamber. I scanned the area, but to my disappointment, there was nobody here.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Shh,” Annora hissed.

She gripped my hand and led me down the slope to the pool of liquid. The closer I got to it, the more unbearable the smell became.

Annora seemed quite unfazed by it. She hurried forward until she was standing right at the edge of the pond.

“It is me,” she said, her voice shaking. “Annora.”

I took a step back as ripples began to form in the dark liquid. Soon enough, it parted to reveal a motionless corpse floating in the water. The corpse of a woman. Until she sat bolt upright. Black eyes shot open, gleaming as they reflected the dim lighting in the chamber. Her skin was thin and rotten. Where it had disintegrated around her forehead, bone was visible. A tuft of hair hung limply from her scalp, which was otherwise shriveled and bald.

“What is this?” I breathed.

“Lilith,” Annora whispered. “The last Ancient among us.”