Evanescence (Black Rose #1) (22 page)

The rain pours upon me. I sit up in the grass and cough. My head hurts, my mouth aches, and my body feels – different. They all kneel before me and stare. I bring my hand to my head trying to ease the pain. It doesn't work.

"What just happened?" I ask.

"Evan?" Essence says.

"Yes?"

She jumps onto me hugging tight. I wrap my arms around her. When she lets go, she kisses me, smiles, but then it fades.

“You're...”

“A vampire,” my mother says. 

I feel them. The fangs in my mouth. I gasp and look into my hands. Pale. My fingernails are sharp. I press my hand to my chest. No heartbeat and something tells me it will never return.

"I died." 

"Yes," Abel says.

"It fits you," Bianca adds.

"Well! Lookie here!" Cedric calls. "The prodigal vampire. Tell me Evan, how does it feel?"

A sharp ache in my jaw settles in and mother tries to comfort me.

"Ah," Cedric continues. "Someone needs that first meal."

"Here Evan, drink," mother holds her wrist up to my mouth. "It's not human blood, but it will hold you for a while and make you strong enough."

"I can't," I shake my head.

"But you must," she says.

"No," Bianca says. "We're a pair. It'd be better he gets it from me." She then holds her wrist before my mouth. "Drink."

"Oh, I can't let that happen," Cedric starts for us.

"Hold him off!" Bianca tells them. Mike tries to fight and fails. He is thrown to the ground. Abel is next to join next to him, and my mother lands a few punches and kicks before she is tossed to the side as well.

"Drink, Evan! Now!" Bianca yells. I grab her wrist, bite deep, and take a gulp. Cedric knocks Bianca to the side and pushes Essence and I apart. 

"Nice try!" Cedric exclaims. "You really thought I would let--"

What is this feeling? My body won't stop shaking
.

"No," Cedric says. "Ugh! Nooo!"

I stand to my feet and wipe my mouth from the blood.

"Do you think you--"

I land a punch to his face, he stumbles back, then shakes his head.

"Cheap shot."

"You deserved it."

One step forward, and we're face to face. His eyes widen. 

"How did you…"

I clench his shirt within my fists and toss him towards the forest. He slams into a tree and slides down its now broken, wooden body. When he hits the ground, I stand above him. Waiting for him to look me in my eyes. He can't be forgiven. He laughs, but I can tell through that laugh, he's hurting.

"Well, that was a surprise. Someone's angry."

He looks up at me, but before I can land a blow to his face, he tackles me into the ground. We tumble deeper into the forest. When I recover, I jump to a tree and begin to climb.

"Where are you going?!" he yells. He throws himself at the tree, trying to knock me down. I hold on and wrap my arms around the wood. It slowly begins to tip. I stand to my feet, run along tree, and leap to the next. Cedric runs along the falling tree, and jumps after me. 

"How far will you get?!" he says.

I'm not running. I'm planning my next move.

"Come down, Evan and fight me!" 

I get to the top of the tree and stand. I look above the treetops through the rain and wind. Cedric emerges from the tree's branches and leaves and tackles me into the raining air towards the mansion. My head rocks with pain and tosses back with each swing of his fist connecting to my face.

"You can't win!" he yells.

"I will," I say.

I look over my shoulder and we descend towards a window. I shift our weight, and put his back towards the mansion. Cedric looks over his shoulder as I hold him in my fists. We brace for impact.

We crash through the glass window, a ceiling, and tumble into the dining room breaking the table, chairs, and chandelier. I lay still on the floor and try to catch my breath. I don't hear Cedric, but I know he must feel worse than me.

Glass crackles nearby.
It's him
. I push myself off the floor and stand to fight. Before I can defend myself, a glass cup I smashes across my face and shatters into a thousand pieces. I shake it off, but then a fist full of knuckles meet my eyes. 

"You're still weak. I'm tanning your hide, newborn," he says.

His punch hurt more than the glass. My head retracts to face him again. Before my vision can stabilize, another fist meets my face. I stumble and grab hold of the walls of the doorway behind me. When he steps forward to swing again, I jump, tuck my knees to my chest, then extend my legs and feet to his chest. I fall onto the floor landing on my back, but his feet leave the floor beneath him and he is thrown into the wall, it catches him like a baseball glove. 
He's stronger than I thought. I have to keep going, but I have to end this quick.

I step out of the living room, trying to catch my breath. 

"Don't turn your back on me! Is that all you got?!"

I turn to face him which might have been a mistake. He charges and gores his shoulder into my stomach sending us through the railing and down to the first floor ten feet below. We lay on the floor, coughing and stumbling to stand. He's up before I am.

"Get up," he says as he brings me to my feet. He lands a punch into my stomach and then my face. I fall to a knee holding myself up with a hand placed on the floor. When he reaches for me again, I swing once, twice, and a third time, each connecting with his face. I grab him by the neck and waist and hold him above my head. He struggles to fight my grip. I toss him up, he hits the chandelier, then slams into the marble floor.

"You're only prolonging your death cousin," he says.

I shake my head.

"I'm not the one who is going to die. It didn't have to be this way, Cedric."

"No. It did."

"I can take you."

"Looks like you're struggling to me," he says.

"Yet, you're the one on the floor."

He yells and charges at me. He throws his weight into my stomach, we break through the red doors, and tumble across the grass. He crawls on top of me.

"Evan!" I hear Essence call.

Cedric's fist rises above him as he uses his other hand to hold me by the neck. I avoid the blow and his fist sinks into the ground. He swings again. Another miss. I roll on top of him and take a swing. It lands. I take another, but he catches my wrist and flips me over his body. I stare into the falling sky, but force myself to get up.

"Evan, look out!" Essence yells.

I turn to face Cedric and his fists connect with my chest and send me to the edge of the cliff. I lay for a moment and look over at Bianca.

"Get the charm, Evan!" Bianca yells. 

I look at Cedric's neck. The charm glows as he charges towards me.
I will.

I brace myself to catch him, but underestimated his strength as we tumble closer to the edge of the cliff. Cedric's grip is unbreakable as he rolls onto his back holding me above him to toss me over. He smiles as I rise above him, soon to fall into the sky. My eyes lay upon the green light from the necklace. I place my hand around the charm, and when he tosses me over the cliff, it breaks from his neck.

"NO!" I hear him say as my body plummets through the sky to the water below. 

I break through the surface of the water and allow myself the sink and rest. It is dark and quiet and the only visible light is that of the jewel. With this out of Cedric's possession, he has become less of a threat, but I still worry. He is strong.

I swim to the surface, using the necklace as a guide. When I reach the bottom of the cliff, I begin to climb, one hand after the other. One foot after the other. 

"I don't need it to beat any of you!" I hear him yell as I pull myself over the edge. 

I raise my hand into the air holding up the charm.

"This?"

"Give it back," he commands.

"I thought you said you didn't need it," I tell him.

"That's not the point. The point is it doesn't belong to you!"

"It doesn't belong to you neither. The charm hasn't chosen anybody."

"It belongs to my family! It belongs to my father!" he yells.

"Your father is dead!" I say.

"Shut up!" he yells. "No more talking! Evan, give me the charm. Final warning!"

"Or what Cedric?" Bianca says. "You'll kill us all?"

"If it comes to that, then yes. I will kill all of you. For now, I just want, Evan. So stay out of this."

"We are a family, Cedric," mother says. "And family sticks together."

"We're not a family! My family isn't here. For all we know, Kaius is the reason my father is dead!"

"You can't blame him, Cedric," Abel says. "Your father was reckless."

"My father was one of the greatest Dracula's that had ever reigned."

"No," Abel says shaking his head and stepping forward. "He wasn't. The power of Viscus doesn't make you a true Dracula. It is the choices you make with that power. Kaius was more of a Dracula than Lucid. And if anything, Kaius was more of a father to you as well."

"Enough!" Cedric hisses at Abel.

"That's it I'm taking him!" Mike says running towards him. Abel follows behind, but both he and Mike are tossed aside by Cedric. 
How is he so strong?
Mother and Bianca try and fail as well. I prepare to step in, but my heart almost dies. Cedric's eyes are upon Essence.

No. Not again.

Cedric grabs Essence by the neck. She chokes my name and grasps onto his wrists. Her feet leave the ground and she kicks for freedom.

"This one is fragile. Careful, handle with care," he says.

I close my eyes and focus on breathing. I drop the charm. 

Focus on a time when you felt endangered. Now, careful I tell you. Anger is inevitable; however, do not allow anger to provoke careless action. Allow the essence of your soul to find peace within yourself. Only then will you know how to bring out the better, stronger, you."

I open my eyes. Before Cedric can land a blow, I clench his forearm in my hand. I look deep into his eyes and his laughter dies. He lets go of Essence and swings. He misses. He tries again. He misses again. I jump and watch him from above as he looks around.

"Come out you coward!" he yells.

"Up here," I say.

Cedric looks up then jumps out of the way. He angrily throws his fists, but I dodge.

"Give me the charm, Evan!"

He lifts his foot from the ground to kick my chest. Another miss, but this time, I throw my elbow to his face, and when it connects to his nose, I hear a pop. It's broken. Just as he did me. He shakes it off and waves for me to come again. As I walk to him, he tries to tackle me.
Typical.
I catch and hold him beneath me and strike my knee into his stomach. He hurls. I kick his face upwards. He falls onto his back.

"You can't beat me!" He says.

I stare at him waiting for him to get up. He yells at the top of his lungs and begins to swing wildly one fist after another. I dodge continuously without losing a single breath of air. When he throws a hook to my face, I duck and push my hands outward and into his chest just as he had done me. His feet leave the ground and tumbles towards the cliff.

"Evan," I hear Bianca call. 

I will finish what Cedric started. He lifts his head and I stand above him. His next move, he will try to kick my face again. He yells his last, plants a hand on the ground, and his legs sweeps upward to the side of my face. I duck and when his body spins back to me, I begin to land countless blows to his face.

"Evan," Abel calls to me. I continue to land punches on Cedric, each making him take a step back closer to the edge.

"Evan!" Bianca calls again. 

Cedric's body goes weak but I continue to punch his nose, then his cheek, then his nose again, then into his stomach. He twists his body for another attempt to kick to my face. I wait as his foot rises. I raise my forearm and stop it. He swings and I catch his fist. I punch his arm and hear a crunch. Agony leaves his lips and throat with a hiss. He drops to his knees holding his arm to his stomach.

"Ev!" Mike calls.

"Brother?!" Bianca yells.

Cedric lifts his head kneeling before me. His eyes are low and barely glow. I raise my hand above my head. He waits, breathless.

"You're not talking much anymore," I say. "Any last words?"

"I was wrong," he says trying to keep his body from falling over.

“What are you talking about?”

He smiles through the blood and pain, then licks his lips. "You're not a human at all. You're a monster." He spits to the side then begins to laugh. "Just like me, Evan." 

He laughs hysterically and glares through his hair.