Authors: Heather C. Hudak
“Wwwwheerrre aaarrre wwweee?” I managed to ask through chattering teeth.
“Underground,” Balthazar said, finally slowing to a gallop. My head was starting to swim from the inability to focus my eyes, so I was thankful for the new pace. Still, I was shivering uncontrollably. “What’s wrong with you?”
“III’mmm fffroooozzzenn,” I replied. My teeth clacking between syllables.
“You humans are so much work,” he said, placing my feet on solid ground and removing his Henley shirt so he was left in nothing but a thin, white, cotton tank. I blushed and lowered my eyes. “For goodness sake, girl. Get a grip. It’s just a bit of bare skin.”
The fact that he had noticed my reaction did nothing to quell my embarrassment, and the red in my cheeks rose higher and hotter. At his unspoken command, I lifted my arms into the air, and in one swift, smooth motion, he slipped his shirt over my head. It reached a solid four inches longer than the sundress, and I instantly felt significantly warmer.
“How did we get here?” I asked now that I could focus on something other than the subzero climate.
“Sylvie’s residence is built on top of a series of underground tunnels,” he explained, scooping me back into his arms. “During the French Revolution, our kind had to be particularly careful. People were so sensitive to any deviations from societal norms that we had to take extreme measures to shield our lifestyle from the average citizen. This place was built as a safe house at the center of town, and should any of us find ourselves in danger at any time, we knew we could come here and find safe passage outside of the city.”
“Sylvie has been around since the 1700s?”
“No, she inherited the space from a former lover.”
“Of course she did.”
“What can I say, the woman has a way with men,” Balthazar shrugged. “It seems she always gets what she wants.”
My spine tingled at his words, and I shivered in his arms.
“Don’t worry,” he added, “Chaseyn isn’t what she wants any more.”
“Thanks, but I wasn’t worried,” I replied confidently. “And if she did, I think she would finally learn what it’s like to lose.”
As much as I hoped I was right, Chaseyn had hung up the phone the last time we talked. There was a possibility that, right now, he was second-guessing his desire to be with me. Just as I was him.
“Touché,” Balthazar said with a smirk. “You’re not like all the others, are you?”
The question was rhetorical, so I remained silent as we whizzed through the twisting and turning corridors of the underground tunnel system. I knew I should be frightened, but the gravity of the situation had yet to take hold. Not to mention that I felt absolutely certain Balthazar would stop at nothing to keep me safe. He still held a torch for Mina, and this was his chance to win her over once and for all.
I felt a pang of guilt for Chip, but just a small one. She wasn’t nice. At least, not to me, and I sensed that maybe she was putting on a show with Addie too, though I had no doubt that she preferred her company to mine. I was a constant reminder that her boyfriend’s true affection lay with another woman.
“When will I see my friends again?”
“Soon, but we have to take every precaution.”
“What do you mean?”
“There has been a slight change in plans,” he said. “You’re not getting on the train to Frankfurt.”
“What? Why not?”
“You can’t take the route you had intended to. There is a possibility that your plans have been compromised, so rather than go to Germany, you will spend tonight at a friend’s place in Lyon, and tomorrow night you will stay in Zurich. The next day, you will move on to Venice, and then, you will travel to Rome.”
“But, what about Addie? How are we going to explain all of this to her?”
“Fortunately, your friend is, how can I put this nicely? Not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
I slammed my fist into his chest at the insult, but he simply guffawed. My feeble blow had zero impact against his powerful strength. Eventually, I laughed as well. I felt badly, but how could I refute his observation. Addie was a good friend--my best friend--but she was naïve, to say the least. It would be easy to pull the wool over her eyes.
“At least tell me the reason Chip gave her for the change in itinerary.”
“She said one of her favorite designers was planning to unveil his new collection at a runway event tonight in Lyon. Addie was delirious with excitement.”
“But, what will she think when there is no event?”
“Pshaw,” Balthazar waved away the thought. “Events get cancelled all the time. She will think nothing of it.”
He had a point, but he still hadn’t answered my question about when I would see Addie and Eli again. I prodded further.
“The Soldiers will be watching all of the major causeways, so we cannot risk you taking traditional transportation,” he explained. “We will follow the tunnels to the outer edge of the city. From there, we will have a private car take us the rest of the way. Your friends will be waiting for you there.”
“They must wonder why I’m not traveling with them.”
“Naturally, Eli has been a huge help. Funny, I thought he would foil the plan, but he is much brighter than I would have given him credit for. I think his immaturity is mostly a show. Anyway, Chip got him alone for a minute and revealed the entire plan. He has kept Addie from asking too many questions. I like him,” Balthazar stated.
The more I thought about what Balthazar had said about Eli, the more it made sense. It took a lot more than skill on the football field to get into a school like Notre Dame, and it suddenly hit me that Eli was simply playing the part of dimwitted jock. Being the affable class clown had gone a long way for him on the social ladder, but underneath all that brawn, he had a head full of brains. I smiled at the thought. He was a mighty fine catch. I would have to find him a woman worthy of all he had to offer.
“So, we’ll meet up with them in Lyon?”
“Yes.”
“How long will it take?”
Before he could answer, I caught a glimpse of light and felt warmth surround me. We were emerging from the murky depths of the tunnels. We surfaced in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Tall grasses and wildflowers sprouted from the dry ground, and the sun beat down in blinding beams.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“The sun just came up. It’s about 6 a.m.” responded a sultry voice. I recognized it immediately, though I had yet to locate its source. Balthazar set my feet on the ground, and I turned quickly to find Sylvie staring up at me from behind the wheel of a Bentley Azure T convertible.
“I thought we were going for inconspicuous,” I said to Balthazar, who simply shrugged his shoulders and raised his palms. “And, what is
she
doing here?”
“Get in,” said the porcelain-skinned beauty whose flame-colored hair was wrapped in a silk scarf to shelter it from the wind. Sylvie slid into the passenger seat so that Balthazar could take the wheel. I hopped in back. “I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here, but it’s for the best,” she said.
I chose not to question her motives. She was going out of her way to help me after all.
***
We drove in silence for a long time, the smooth sound of classic jazz wafting through the wind from the radio. After an hour or so, I couldn’t take it any longer.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate how you’re all going out of your way to help me, but can one of you please tell me where my friends are?”
“They are with Chip,” Sylvie said abruptly.
“Yes. I figured as much, but where exactly?”
“They’re going to get on the train to Frankfurt,” Balthazar said.
“Huh? Why? I thought we were all going to Lyon.”
“Yes, but we must first make the Soldiers think that you have not veered from your original plans. Once it is safe, Chip will get them off the train and rent a car. They will arrive a few hours after us.”
That was a relief. But, another thought lingered in my head, and I couldn’t push it aside any longer.
“Shouldn’t we call Chaseyn? I mean, he’d want to know,” I asked. The last thing I wanted to do was bring him and Sylvie together in any way, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
“No,” Sylvie said. That was all.
“What she means is that Chaseyn has a tendency to act out of passion rather than logic. If he knew you were in danger, he would do more to put you at risk than to help you.”
I thought about that for a moment, and I could see how it might make some sense. But, I still hated the idea that we were keeping this from him.
“We could just tell him our plan at least,” I suggested. “I’m sure if he knew how well you were taking care of me he would be satisfied. I would just feel so much better if he at least knew what was going on.”
“Not possible,” Sylvie said. “How long have you known him? A couple of months? I have known him decades, and he will go berserk. He must not know. Discussion closed.”
And, I knew it was. And, I knew she was right to end it.
***
I fell asleep after that. And, I only awoke as we were driving through the bustling mid-day streets of Lyon. We journeyed past the parts of the city that seemed most active and pulled into a driveway in a suburban neighborhood.
“I thought you said we would be staying at a friend’s place not palace,” I said as we stepped out of the vehicle. The building before me was a massive stone structure set on an acreage, complete with a forest, ponds, swimming pool, and more. And that was just the part I could see.
“A palace. Ridiculous,” Sylvie said to the back of my head. “How can she think this is a palace, Balty? It’s merely a chateau.”
I ignored her comment and waited for Balthazar to take the lead. Moving ahead of both Sylvie and myself, he approached the door first. Just as he was about to pound the solid brass knocker, the door creaked open.
“Ah, Mr. Kent. You have arrived safely, and in good time,” the man behind the door said, looking at his watch as he stepped aside to let us pass.
“Always a pleasure to see you, Giles. I trust the preparations are complete,” Balthazar said, handing the man the car keys as he entered.
“Of course, sir. Just the way you ordered. Shall I show you inside?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Balthazar replied. “I’ll show the ladies to their rooms if you can grab Sylvie’s things from the car.”
“Shall I pull the car into the garage, sir?”
“No need. As soon as Lia and Sylvie are settled, I will be taking leave.”
“What?” Sylvie and I asked in unison.
“Sylvie, my dear, you know I have errands to tend to back home. Certainly, you can keep an eye on Lia for the next day or two.”
“But, I assumed you would want to see Chip,” I said hopefully.
“She’ll understand,” he said flatly, and I sensed their relationship might be on its last legs.
With that, he wrapped Sylvie’s arm through his own and glanced back to ensure I was following in their wake. We walked through the white marble foyer to a winding stairwell that led to four rooms of significant size, each complete with en suite facilities.
“Look, the two of you won’t even have to lay eyes on one another if you don’t want to,” Balthazar said with a chuckle.
“Good. I don’t think I could stand to look at that horrible dishcloth she’s wearing as a dress a minute longer,” Sylvie said, eyeing me from head to toe. “I mean, honestly, Chaseyn used to have such sophisticated tastes. My how the mighty have fallen.”
Sadly, I couldn’t agree more. I frowned at my reflection as we passed an enormous mirror en route to our rooms, and I kept my fingers crossed that there would be something in the closet that I could turn into a more suitable outfit. My own bags would only arrive when my friends did…at least, I hoped they would.
“Sylvie, this will be your room,“ Balthazar said as he flung open the door to the most majestic sleeping quarters I had ever seen.”
“I suppose it will do,” she said, pointing her nose in the air and stepping through the door. Nothing was good enough for that woman, and I knew that Chaseyn--the man he had become, the one I loved--could never be with a woman like that again. Baby steps, but at least I was taking them and they were moving in the right direction…closer to him. That is, if he would still have me.
“Lia, you can take the room at the end of the hall. I’ll be downstairs for a few more minutes settling affairs with Giles, so if you need anything, please let me know,” Balthazar said.
“Um, about that,” I said quietly.
“Yes.”
“Could you maybe ask Chip to be a little nicer to me?” I asked. “She was a bit rough yesterday, and I didn’t like it. Not to mention that the bruises she left on my arms really hurt.”
“I’m sorry about that. She’s--we’re--going through something right now, and she seems to be misdirecting her anger at you. I think she believes that if her mission to protect you hadn’t taken her away we could repair our relationship, but it’s a bit too late for that, I’m afraid. I’ll try talking to her, but sometimes, she simply doesn’t know her own strength.”
I nodded. The fact that he would try was good enough for me.
“One more thing,” I said, touching his cold arm lightly as I did. “Is it safe here? Should I just go home?”
“Everything will be fine,” Balthazar assured, petting my hand gently as he did. “This is something you should do. Besides, you’re no more safe at home than you are here. Less, in fact. There are fewer vampires to offer you help in America.”