Authors: Heather C. Hudak
I didn’t ask again. She was right. I probably didn’t want to know.
“All you need to know for now is that he won’t be coming after you for a long, long time. If ever. I doubt he’ll walk away without a pretty severe sentence.”
“I’ve heard that before,” I said sarcastically, referring to Frost.
“You should be safe now. Andrien was our biggest concern. We thought he might be our man, but we weren’t certain until tonight.”
“How did he get in?”
“That’s my fault,” she said, shaking her head and looking down at her feet in shame. “Like I said, I left my post for five minutes…I wanted to be sure no one had followed Addie. I thought you would be safe.”
I felt bad for her for a moment. She seemed so--human. I petted her back to show her I didn’t hold a grudge, but she just pushed my hand away.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“No. It’s not,” she replied. “But, I’ve learned my lesson. It won’t happen again--especially not with Andrien in custody. And, I won’t be letting you out of my sight again.”
That made me feel at least a little bit better for now. I left the room so that Chip could do whatever it was she needed to do to properly dispose of the body--as well as the severed head that she had retrieved from the water. I had a pretty solid idea of what the process entailed, and I was fairly certain I didn’t want to witness it. When she was done, she escorted me back to our suite on the other side of the city. It was late, and we had an early morning ahead of us.
I crashed the minute my head hit the pillow. There was something about knowing my friends were safe--and so was I, for the time being at least--that gave me the peace of mind I had been searching for since before I had met Chaseyn about 10 months earlier.
Chapter 29 - Departure
Finally, we were headed to Rome. This was the part of the trip I had been most anticipating since we first started planning our vacation back in May, and now, I was especially glad to be putting some distance between myself and Sylvie.
“Mon chère, it is with much sadness that I take my leave,” Sylvie said, wrapping her arms loosely around my shoulders and kissing me lightly on each cheek.
While her words were warm, her embrace was anything but. Sylvie and I had learned to tolerate each other over the past few days. And, while I appreciated everything she had done for me, I would never truly enjoy her company. I was fairly certain she felt the same way. Only, she could offer me safety and material items, while I could offer her nothing in return. Nothing, but the knowledge that I would be going home to Chaseyn--at least, I hoped I would be, anyway.
“I’ll miss you, Sylvie,” I lied. She knew it too.
I was the only one she made an effort with upon her departure. She had never been fond of Addie or Eli, and she wasn’t one for niceties. Humans were inferior to her. She only went so far with me because she knew there was a possibility I would remain part of her inner circle for many years to come--eternity, if Alexei got his wish.
Chip walked with Sylvie onto the train headed west toward France--presumably so they could have one last chat about keeping me secure on the last leg of my trip. With Frost and Andrien out of the picture, I was feeling quite safe, but the fact of the matter was that the Soldiers and Alexei could still find me. There was always the possibility that Andrien wasn’t the only mole, and I knew it was important to keep on high alert, just in case.
Addie, Eli, and I walked toward our train. Despite fact that the last bell had whistled, announcing our imminent departure, I had faith that Chip would arrive with time to spare. Addie, on the other hand, sat on the edge of her seat, her normally neatly manicured nails bit to the quick. I winked at Eli, and he smiled in return. Chip’s identity--not to mention Chaseyn’s, Sylvie’s, and Balthazar’s as well--was still our secret. One I hoped Addie would never learn.
With the view outside our window starting to roll past slowly, Addie began to make low groaning sounds. We had yet to lay eyes on Chip, and she was starting to panic.
“What if she didn’t make it on? We have all of her things,” Addie asked, worry lines wrinkling across her brow. “I have to go look for her. Maybe she’s on one of the other cars. It’s possible, right? I bet she just forgot which one we’re on.”
Addie started to stand, but Eli gently laid his arm across her lap, stopping her in the act. I watched with baited breath as each second ticked by on my watch. My heart was beating so hard and fast that I didn’t hear when the door opened behind me. A firm squeeze on my shoulder caught me off guard, and I jumped a good six inches out of my chair.
“Don’t scare me like that,” I threatened.
“Or, what? What will you do, Lia?” Chip taunted.
Addie and Eli laughed, but I knew Chip was hinting at something deeper. Her pink tongue slid across her lips in a light licking motion that may have seemed sensual to some, but I took it at face value. Thankfully, her oversized incisors were retracted from view.
“Where were you?” Addie chimed. “I was so scared we would never see you again.”
“Oh, you need not worry about that,” Chip replied and pushed past me to take a seat next to Eli. Slapping her hand on his thigh, she gave it a tight squeeze before offering her next sentiments. “I’ve got to much at…stake. Isn’t that right, Lia?”
I had to hand it to the girl--she was far more clever than I had given her credit for. She was playing me like a fiddle, and as grateful as I was for everything she had done for me, I wasn’t about to sit back and fall for her charms.
“Eli, I’m thinking of getting some refreshments, would you mind helping me?” I said standing up from my seat.
“I’m sure you can manage on your own,” he replied.
“No. I’m fairly certain I could use a hand,” I said, pulling him up from his seat.
“Fine,” he said begrudgingly.
“Can I get you anything, Chip? A little O positive, perhaps?”
“I’m sure I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, Lia.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t. Besides, you’ve just had a
bite
, haven’t you? You seem to have a little lunch leftover on your chin.”
Chip took a quick swipe at her jaw with the back of her hand. Of course, I had been playing her, but I wondered how right I was. Had she just fed? What made her think there was any evidence of her last meal if she hadn’t recently had one? That’s when I saw a few stray rust-colored dots on her shorts and thought I might not have been too far off base.
“You guys are so funny the way you poke at each other. I love it,” Addie said. Good old Addie. Still clueless. I could always count on her for a pick me up. Eli and I left then.
***
Once I knew we were safely out of earshot, I pulled Eli into one of the restrooms for a private conversation, As I drew him near and began to whisper in his ear, he pulled away quickly.
“As much as I have dreamed of just this moment, it’s…it’s just not right,” he said, turning his face away from mine.
“What?”
“Weren’t you going to--”
“Oh, Eli, you thought I was going to kiss you.”
“Ugh, I’m such an idiot,” he said, shaking his head slowly, with his eyes focused on the floor. “Can we just pretend this never happened?”
“Sure.”
“Let’s start from the beginning,” he said making swiping motions with his hands as though he was trying to erase the past few minutes. He took a step into me and positioned his ear next to my lips, just the same way we had been standing when he pulled away. “Okay. Go ahead. What were you going to do?”
“I was going to tell you that I don’t trust Chip,” I said in the quietest whisper I could.
“But, she saved your life,” he blurted, backing away ever so slightly. “I don’t get it.”
As quickly as I could, I slapped my hand across his mouth to shush him and then pulled him tight to me again.
“Have you forgotten who…no, what…she is? I think we’re out of earshot, but I can‘t be sure,” I whispered. “Not all of them are like Mina, and well, even though Chaseyn isn’t exactly who I thought he was, he’s still…he’s better than most of them.”
“What are you talking about? Chaseyn’s the most stand up guy I know.”
“Never mind. It’s not important right now, and I’m not sure it ever will be,” I mumbled under my breath. I didn’t want to think about my last conversation with Chaseyn right now. And, there was little point in ruining his perfect façade for Eli. Not until I had sorted out in my own mind just what I felt about the whole situation. “Look, I know Chip will do whatever needs to be done to keep me safe, but she’s not a nice person. I don’t like the way she treats Addie like she’s a child.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he said, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“Sure, she seems like she’s all sunshine and lollipops when they’re hanging out, but when she’s alone with me, she’s someone totally different. She has a mean streak, and I don’t like it.”
“If she does anything at all to hurt Addie--I mean Addie and you--I’ll … well, I’m not sure what I’ll do, but you better believe it will hurt.”
“That’s sweet, Eli. I think. But, I didn’t tell you this so that you would get your back up around her. I just wanted you to be aware so that you don’t go all gaga over her,” I said. “And don’t go denying that you’re not the least bit interested.”
When he looked at me, he had denial written all over his face.
“Oh, come on. I saw the look on your face when she squeezed your thigh just now,” I said. “I can understand how hard it must be for a guy to deny a girl like Chip--those long, lean legs in those barely there shorts. I mean, she’s a real knock out.”
“Stop it,” he said, turning his back on me. “It’s not like that, and what would you care if it was?”
He had a point.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That was out of line. I just wanted to be sure we were on the same page, and now, I know.”
Eli turned the knob and opened the door. He started walking--no, storming--back in the same direction we had come.
“Wait,” I shouted after him. “We were getting refreshments.”
“I’ve lost my appetite,” he called over his shoulder.
Chapter 30 - Rome
Upon our arrival in Rome, I tried calling Sylvie to let her know we were safe. Four hours and three messages later, I came to the realization that, while Sylvie and I had put our differences away for our brief time together, she really did despise me. She had told me to call, but the fact that she was not answering when I did--or returning my messages--suggested that our ceasefire was over. I wanted to say this revelation caused me pain, but there was no love loss here. It was just as well that Sylvie was out of my life for good.
“Looks like Sylvie’s put us out of her mind already,” I said to Addie, Chip, and Eli when I returned to the table at the café where we were lunching. It was a fancy place with a high-priced menu that Addie insisted on treating us all to.
“I’m sure that’s what’s happened,” Chip muttered. Something seemed a little off in her tone, but I chose to ignore her sarcastic comment. I appreciated what she was doing for me--giving up several weeks away from the love of her life to protect me--but I’d had about enough of her.
Addie paid the bill, and we began roaming around the Piazza Navona area and winding our way to the Pantheon. I had brought along several guidebooks specifically for this part of our trip, and as we wandered the streets, I read aloud to our little group the secret and not-so-secret history of the many sights we encountered on our trek. And, while I remained focused mainly on the task at hand, I had a sinking feeling in the back of my mind. I couldn’t shake the fact that something just wasn’t right.
***
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I’d managed to catch a few minutes of sleep, but memories of the masquerade party infiltrated my dreams. Only, in my dream, Chip never came to my rescue. And, just as Frost was about to sink her pearly whites into my jugular, I started awake. From that moment on, I had spent most of the night tossing and turning, contemplating what would have been my fate had that scene played out in reality.
Once I had run through every possible scenario at least a half-dozen times, my thoughts inevitably turned to Chaseyn and the horrible truths he had shared with me over the phone. As the minutes ticked by on the clock, I thought about the demons he had battled in his youth and about his love affair with Sylvie. In time, I was certain I could forgive him these sins. He had been young when he committed them, and he had taken great pains to change his ways since then. And, while I knew there was always the possibility of relapse, that was a challenge we could work together to overcome.
One thought, however, continued to weigh heavy on my mind. His words. His somber words…
I did it all to spite you
. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand, because I did. It all made perfect sense how he could feel so strongly about me, despite the fact that he didn’t yet know me--that I hadn’t yet been born. And, I knew that I could forgive him for it. But, that wasn’t my main concern. My biggest fear centered on his ability to forgive me.
I knew I had been selfish. He had loved me with his whole heart, and I had pushed him away. That, I knew he could forgive. And, I would work my whole life to make sure he never felt that way again. It wasn’t anything I did, per se, that I feared he couldn’t forgive me for. No. It was much worse than that. I feared that he could never forgive my existence.
That
, I had no control over.