Dark Heart Forever (28 page)

I felt my chest tighten when he said that, and when I glanced at what was stuffed into the scrapbook, my heart nearly rushed through my mouth.

I had seen these reports before.

‘Let me look,’ I said, breathlessly, grabbing hold of the book.

‘Jane,’ Luca said anxiously, ‘don’t make yourself overwrought.’

I ignored him. Instead I frantically scanned what was in front of me. Newspaper cuttings about a kid who’d won a surfing championship. A grainy black-and-white picture of him smiling in his wetsuit, his sun-streaked blond hair flopping over his face.

Another cutting talked of the same boy. Sporty, living with his single-parent mother. A boy who kept himself to himself … Who suffered from long periods of depression. Who’d been in trouble with the law.
A TRAGIC WASTE OF YOUTH AND TALENT
ran one caption.

I read on, each cutting about the same boy. The boy with so much potential. Good-looking and devoted to his mum. The boy who’d disappeared. The boy called Evan Daniel Forrest. And then about an unidentified body that had been found, strangled on the beach a year before. And there, underneath the others, the face of the girl who’d seen the boy attacked.

I kept my head down. The blood seemed to have drained from my face, and I scratched helplessly at the card page on which cuttings – photocopies all of them – had been stuck, unable to get my head around what I was looking at.

Eventually, Luca spoke. ‘It could be just a coincidence,’ I heard him say quietly, without conviction.

I lifted my head.

‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘It’s not.’

I heard Luca catch his breath. ‘I’m sorry, Jane … I didn’t want this to be true. Those pictures I kept getting … I didn’t want you to be in danger.’ He knelt down and put his arm around me. The feel of it, solid, protective made me stronger somehow.

‘It’s fine,’ I said blankly. ‘Maybe I’ve known all along. Deep down. Something wasn’t right.’

Luca said nothing, just listened.

‘I knew it was too good to be true,’ I went on. ‘That a boy like that could want me. It seemed so … ridiculous.’

‘What?’ I turned to see Luca bewildered, his eyes wide. ‘You can’t possibly mean that? This is not about you, Jane. Can’t you see that? You know what’s been going on, don’t you?’

I looked back at the scrapbook. ‘Yes. Evan Forrest is dead. Which means that the Evan I know is not him.’

‘No,’ said Luca. ‘The Evan you know is Raphael.’

I put my hand to my mouth, a jolt of realisation hitting me. Of course! Evan had taken the photo of Raphael that day. And that meant that he knew about me too. He knew I had been here, to Nissilum.

‘Why is he doing this? Why did he go after me?’ I looked over at Luca, whose face was twisted in anguish. He reached out for me, but I didn’t respond, I felt disconnected from emotion. Kind of numb.

‘I think …’ he said slowly, ‘I think it has something to do with Gabriel.’ He shook his head. ‘Raphael started behaving strangely when Gabriel slipped away. He was so angry. Nobody could console him. He’s been looking for someone to blame. I knew there was something dangerous about Evan. I kept getting these … horrible flashes of you scared and his presence always there. But I had nothing substantial. It was only today, when I found the book, and all this stuff about Evan going missing, and then the discovery of the unidentified body, that I knew the danger was real.’

I started to get up, panicked. ‘Luca … this is all about my mother …’ I paced the grass. ‘He wants to get at her through me … I have to get back now. She isn’t safe.’

I shut my eyes. This was all my fault.

Luca read my thoughts. ‘It isn’t your fault, Jane, none of it. How could you have known?’

‘Oh God.’ I got to my feet, shaking, and Luca grabbed hold of me, pulling me in to him.

‘I will not let him hurt you,’ he said emphatically. ‘Or your family.’

‘Luca?’ A voice somewhere behind him made me pull away. My heart sank to see Lowe standing, scowling at us through the trees.

Luca turned to his brother. ‘Lowe, this is not your business. Leave us.’

Lowe shook his head. ‘She should leave. Henora and Ulfred are on their way as I speak. Dalya gave herself away, sneaking around the palace. I had no choice but to inform them.’ He smiled almost gently at Luca. ‘It is for your own good. You’ll see. Some time in the palace cellars will keep you out of danger.’

An angry shadow fell over Luca’s face. ‘You stupid boy. I can take care of myself, take my own risks and deal with the consequences. And Jane is in danger.’

‘Well, she’ll have to deal with that by herself.’ Lowe’s tone was supercilious. I had the urge to slap him.

Luca had not let go of me and I was thankful for his protection. More than that, I felt desperate that he would stay and I would have to go back on my own.

‘Lowe,’ Luca pleaded. ‘After this I will stay. But I have to go back with Jane. One more time.’

I tried not to dwell on the miserable reality of that last sentence. I had to get home.

‘It’s all right.’ I tightened my hold on Luca. ‘I can do this.’

But as Luca pulled away to respond, I saw two horses; astride one was Ulfred, on the other sat Henora, and behind her a stricken-looking Dalya.

‘Hell,’ Luca whispered. He glared at his brother. ‘I will not forgive you for this.’

‘You were warned once, brother,’ Lowe replied, ‘and you promised to abandon mortal Earth. And Jane. Forever.’

‘Sometimes life is too complicated to keep promises,’ snapped Luca.

‘Ah.’ Henora stepped ahead of her husband and stood studying her elder son with disappointment. ‘I had hoped this was some elaborate story of Lowe’s. I am sorry to find you here.’ Her glance fell to me, though she avoided eye contact.

‘Mother, please. You taught me to be kind, to help others in distress.’ Luca begged her. ‘Let me help Jane.’

‘I’m sorry, boy,’ Ulfred put in. ‘But you know the rules. And you have disobeyed us twice. Lied to us. We have no choice now but to confine you. Just for a while. So that you can contemplate your actions. And learn obedience.’

I looked at them all. Henora and Ulfred, stern-faced; Dalya, sighing heavily next to them; Lowe looking a little too pleased with himself – and Luca. Luca, torn between his loyalty to his family and to a girl who had caused him nothing but trouble.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I said. ‘None of this is Luca’s fault. He has only ever tried to help me. You must believe he is a good son. The kindest, most honourable son you could wish for.’

Henora finally looked me in the eyes.

‘I’m sure you mean well, child,’ she said coolly, ‘but the standards we have here as a family on Nissilum are somewhat different to those mortals abide by. Honour is entirely bound up with family, with breed. I cannot expect you to understand. But you too have lied to us. Forgive me if I hold your words in little esteem.’

Indignation rose inside me, but I held my tongue. Luca was silent now. It was clearly a mistake to challenge Henora. I saw properly how formidable she was.

‘Come, Luca.’ Ulfred took his son’s arm. ‘This will not be a pleasant experience. Better to begin your term of confinement now and the sooner it will be over.’

‘Father,’ Dalya said miserably, ‘is this really necessary?’

‘Be quiet!’ snapped Henora. She looked harshly at Lowe and Dalya. ‘You two get yourselves home. This is not a show for an audience.’

She grabbed at both their hands and pulled them with her as she marched back to the horses. Dalya threw a sad, apologetic smile back at me, while Lowe retained his familiar smirk.

Henora climbed up on to her horse, while Lowe took charge of the other. Reluctantly Dalya got up behind him. ‘Goodbye,’ she called as Henora led them all out of the forest. ‘Good luck.’

Luca tried to look reassuringly at me, but there was no mistaking the fear in his eyes. ‘Remember, Jane. Think hard of where you want to be. And you will be there,’ he said, as Ulfred shook his head.

‘Luca,’ he warned, tugging at his arm. ‘Let’s go. This is not easy for any of us.’

‘I will be with you,’ Luca called, allowing himself to be led away. ‘Somehow.’

‘Boy!’ growled his father. ‘Enough.’ He pushed Luca in front of him, blocking my view as they walked away. Luca would be kept in the palace cellar. I shuddered. It was medieval. And cruel.

Luca finally turned his back to me and I gulped back a mixture of fear and intense sadness.

‘Goodbye, Luca,’ I whispered.

I
 sat back down by the river, knowing I should act now, but feeling briefly frozen. I shut my eyes and focussed my mind on home – the voice in my head began to chant it, over and over again. But I was still aware of the pure air of Nissilum and heard the rustle of the leaves in the cool breeze. I tried again, but willing myself not to panic interfered with my greater wish. To be back in my home, to see my mother there, safe. It was all I wanted. Yet somehow, nothing was happening. My body was tensing, frustrated. So when I felt cool hands grabbing hold of mine, my eyes flew open.

‘Vanya?’

‘Sssh,’ she said. ‘Mortal girl. I can help you home. No need for all this telekinetic rubbish.’ She screwed up her nose. ‘It is so unreliable … The more you force it, the harder it becomes.’

‘I don’t need your help,’ I said abruptly, adding more nicely, ‘Thank you,’ in case she cast some kind of spell on me then and there.

She pouted. ‘Don’t be tiresome, girl.’

Warily, I realised I needed to keep her on side.

‘Another time,’ I said quickly. ‘There’ll be another time.’

‘I doubt that,’ Vanya purred, brushing her black mane out of her eyes. Her face was almost blue it was so pale. And in the daylight she looked older, her face creasing in places it hadn’t before.

‘Let’s get out of this grim light,’ she said, pulling at me.

My energy was draining out of me. It was not just the events of the past couple of hours here, it was Vanya’s presence. Luca had warned me about her. I struggled not to succumb.

‘I have to go,’ I said vaguely. ‘There’s something I have to do.’

‘But I want to apologise,’ she said in a syrupy tone. ‘Staying a little longer won’t harm, surely? Come, let me take you home and we can think of a plan to thwart those insufferably self-righteous wolves.’ She winced. ‘Soon, though. I don’t fare well with the sun.’

I squinted into the shard of light coming through the trees, my head was fuzzy.

‘They are a bit self-righteous,’ I found myself saying. ‘And they’ve taken him somewhere. They’ll lock him up to punish him.’

Vanya cocked her head. ‘Who darling? Who have they taken?’

‘No one. Nothing. I must go now.’

Vanya moved swiftly to me. One manicured hand just touching my arm.

‘We got off rather on the wrong foot at the ball …’ she flashed a smile, ‘as your people would put it. I apologise. It is hard to shed certain innate needs …’ She examined my face almost kindly. ‘It was an aberration. A moment of weakness. I hope you understand.’

I stared at her. ‘Weakness is human. I understand weakness. I just don’t understand evil.’

Vanya’s eyes widened innocently. ‘Oh, but I’m not evil. I would not be allowed to reside here in this hell-forsaken world if I were evil.’ She pulled back her shoulders and seemed to tower above me imposingly. ‘And I would like to help you.’

‘You can’t help.’ I shook my head. ‘This needs to be dealt with without tricks and … and bloodshed.’

‘Oh,’ she said, in exaggerated disappointment. ‘How boring.’

The sun went behind the trees and I realised how vulnerable I was, standing alone with a vampire.

‘Sweet girl,’ she said, ‘once upon a time I was innocent. Untainted.’ She looked sorrowfully down at the water. ‘But one can’t turn back time … One just has to get by … somehow.’

She took a step closer and I moved back.

‘Just think,’ she said, holding eye contact, ‘if, hypothetically speaking of course, I were to turn you, then your troubles would be over. You would be free to stay here … you would be one of us.’

It was true. I could be here. Everything would be all right. I would belong. It would only take a minute.

‘Vanya,’ I said, shivering with temptation but forcing myself to think straight, ‘I have a home.’

‘Ah. Home,’ she said wistfully. ‘Surely home is where you feel you belong?’

Oh, she was good.

‘And leaving that poor smitten boy to pine and … wither away. Can you really live with that?’

‘I’ll have to.’ She seemed to glide closer. ‘I don’t want to be one of you.’

‘But what have you got to return to? Betrayal. Loneliness.’

The truth of her words stung, but I knew she was trying to lull me with her lilting, sympathetic voice. I had to battle the tears that threatened. I felt suddenly drained of strength, my thoughts growing fuzzier by the minute.

‘Here you can live forever.’ Her voice was distant. ‘Just think of that.’

Clouds in my head obscured my thoughts and I tried to clear them. Tried to think. There was something I had to do. Someone I had to stop.