Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (53 page)

Tamina found the door she was looking for and drifted through. She saw the sleeping figure of her former husband behind his desk, and chuckled when she saw the windows boarded up with wood.

Hearing her laugh, Gavin stirred in his sleep. She moved closer to him, and when he opened a tired hazel eye, it focused on Tamina’s form. His head snapped up.

“No…” He stood and moved away. “It can’t be.”

Why can’t it be?

“Because you’re dead,” Gavin replied, nearly tripping over his chair. “You’re dead!”

You thought that of our daughter as well
, Tamina laughed,
but we both know she’s alive and well
.

“Why are you here?” Gavin demanded. “You’re supposed to be rotting in Avilyne’s hell!”

How original of you
, Tamina replied as she looked away.
I have my own reasons why I still linger in Arrygn
.

“Lingering spirits are a myth.” Gavin continued to back away from her. “You’re dead. This…this is just some sick dream.”

Vampirism has done nothing for you, it seems
. Tamina moved to the boarded window and tried to peek through the cracks.
I assure you, I’m no dream
.

“You. Are. Dead,” Gavin said, emphasizing each word with his pointer finger. “
Dead
.”

Tamina flashed a grin with elongated fangs.

For now, my husband. For now
.

Melanie Rodriguez holds a BA in creative writing from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. She says she’s been compelled to write stories dictated by the voices she’s heard inside her head since she was a child, citing the story line of her debut book Child of Blackwen: An Artemis Ravenwing Novel as one of the main reasons she majored in creative writing. It’s an epic work of high fantasy narrating the coming-of-age story of a young half-vampire, half-human creature known as a dhampir.

A former New Yorker, Rodriguez is an avid reader and sports fan who now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her overly excitable shepsky (a shepherd-husky mix), Shadow.