Haeven (3 page)

I scowled at her challengingly and refused to
answer.

"Oh, is that how we will play this game? Very
well," she seized my hand and brought my wrist to her lips. She
took a violent pull from my veins then tossed my hand back towards
me. She took a step away, "Ah, I was so close...so close to killing
him," she smiled a sinister little grin, "but you...I see...and
he...and so..." her eyes had a faraway look as she considered what
had happened.

"And now he's long gone, isn't he?"

"I don't know where he is. He left," my voice
trembled and an involuntary sob escaped my lips, "he just left." I
buried my face in my hands.

A long moment passed then I felt her hand
brushing the hair from my face, "There, there," her voice oddly
comforting and full of concern, "don't cry. I understand," she
soothed, "your heart...your poor little heart. It feels like it's
been torn in two."

"Yes, yes!" I cried.

"I know how to fix it, Emily."

"You do?" I looked up my eyes full of
hope.

She smiled, "Of course I do. Come with me,"
and she reached for my hand.

"Where are we going?"

She nipped her finger and put it to my lips,
"Taste," she commanded.

I reached out and sucked the blood from her
fingertip; for some reason I couldn't stop myself.

"Carah," I whispered.

"Yes, Emily, I'm Carah, and I am going to
help you; help you get better and help you forget Daemon...forget
all about Daemon. Come," she said and full of obedience and little
else I took her hand and followed.

Carah led me outside and when we got to the
sidewalk in front of my house she drew me towards a car that was
parked along the curb. She opened the door then motioned me in.
After doing a quick scan of the area Carah glided in and sat beside
me. The driver turned and looked at her full of curiosity and
confusion. She just nodded at him to start the car then rather than
wait for a reply he shrugged and did as she suggested.

"Will we be gone long? My parents are already
mad at me and I don't want them to wake up and worry if I'm not
there." I struggled but managed to ask.

Carah gave and odd little chuckle, "No, not
long at all," she smiled across the seat at me, "It has been a
difficult day for you and you must be very tired. Why don't you
stretch out and rest while you have the chance?" her voice was very
soothing and though I wanted to distrust her my eyes were suddenly
heavy and my thoughts were utterly confused.

"That sounds nice," I mumbled. I couldn't
make any sense of where I was or what I was doing or why I was
doing it. I found myself yawning and curling my legs up onto the
seat. Before I knew it I was sound asleep.

I woke up when the car finally stopped again.
It seemed like it was morning but the windows were heavily tinted
and I couldn't tell for sure. I pushed myself from the corner I was
slumped into and looked out the window. We seemed to be in a canyon
of sorts and there were gates ahead of us with two men standing at
rigid attention in front of them. Carah put the divider up between
us and the driver as he lowered the window to speak with them.
After they exchanged a handful of words the men opened the gate and
waved us through.

"Where are we?" I asked somewhat
awestruck.

"Just be patient, Emily," she said and left
my question unanswered.

A quiver of suspicion ran through me and
though I wanted to put up a strong front I became more and more
aware of the situation I was in and started to panic.

"I need to get home. My parents are probably
worried and Evan, too."

"Soon, Emily," she reached over to take my
hand but I batted her away.

"Am I being kidnapped?"

Carah guffawed, "I'm trying to help you!"

"What kind of person tries to help someone by
kidnapping them?"

"I think you know that I'm not a person at
all," she said and smiled.

There was something sinister in the sound of
her voice and her look made it even more foreboding. I tried the
door handle but it was locked. I began running my hands over the
panel looking for the switch.

"Let me out!" I shouted and banged on the
window, "Let me out!"

I turned back to Carah and she just shook her
head and smiled at my fruitless efforts. Then I remembered the
amulet and I reached for the chain. My eyes filled with fear when I
realized it wasn't there and I quickly recalled what had happened
to it.

"I'm sorry," Carah's expression softened,
"but it would be infinity easier on you if you would just
cooperate. I brought you here to help you but other than that the
less you know the better."

She sounded sincere and I started to regret
the harsh way I was speaking to her as well as the severity of my
accusation. I was about to apologize but then my mind seized upon
the idea that no matter how believable she sounded Carah couldn't
be trusted.

"You're...you're not sorry! You're just
trying to...to pacify me!" I lunged for her; hitting and clawing at
her face.

She grabbed my wrists, "My you're a feisty
one!" she grinned wickedly. "Is that you or is Daemon still in
there," she loosened her grip and after letting go laid one of her
hands over my heart, "somewhere?" she was silent a moment as if she
were listening or trying somehow to sense what was going on inside
of me. The car pulled to a stop and she quickly dropped the
attempt, "Ah, here we are."

Carah let my other hand go and slid across
the seat towards the door. A moment later the driver came around
and let her out. After she exited the car she bent down and
beckoned me to do the same, "Come," she said and stepping back held
the door for me.

I thought about trying to escape as I
scuttled across the seat and hopped out but Carah intuitively
grabbed my collar as soon as my feet hit the ground. She seemed
impossibly strong and I felt helpless against her grip. I quickly
realized how useless it would be to try and get away and since I
was unable to do anything else I looked around at my surroundings.
We were in an underground garage of sorts. There were several rows
of cars, trucks and motorcycles; perhaps a dozen or so of each
parked in precise intervals across the expansive floor.

Carah looked down at me, "Now then. I need
you to do everything I say and if you do not..." she put her hands
one on each side of my face and I felt her thoughts rippling across
mine. "Do you understand?" I couldn't keep the fear from my eyes
and my heart felt like it would burst through my chest. Reluctantly
I nodded. "Good," Carah released me. "This way."

She pivoted on her heel and took several
steps then looked expectantly at me and I began to shuffle after
her. Carah led us to an elevator and rather than going up it
brought us further and further down. When the doors slid back she
nudged me to get out then followed right behind me.

I glanced around and was surprised to find
that we were in a hallway that looked very much like the entryway
or foyer to someone's home. The tiled floor gleamed under our feet
and the walls were hung with various pieces of artwork. There were
several small, round tables with two chairs each facing one another
and in between these were plant stands of various shapes and sizes
spilling over with an array of foliage.

The walls lining the hallway had several
breaks in them; doorways leading into vast rooms on either side and
as we walked I glanced in and could see that they each seemed to
have their own purpose. One was littered with gaming tables;
billiards and chess boards, backgammon and many other games that I
just didn't recognize. Some of them were in use and when we walked
by several of the room's occupants raised their heads and stole
curious looks at us.

Some of the other rooms were clearly offices
with desks and computers, filing cabinets and such, then there was
what seemed to be a library, and something that looked very much
like a small theater complete with a movie screen and three rows of
staggered seating to view it from.

When we reached the end of the hallway we
turned left and after a handful of steps I noticed that there was a
long stretch of wall that was entirely glass. In places it was
covered with condensation but as we walked past I could see that
behind the glass was a vast indoor garden. There were trees and
flowers and shrubs all at the peak of their bloom. I could even see
a number of small animals and birds flitting about and I couldn't
help marveling at the beauty of the sight of it all as we passed
by.

There was nothing along the opposite wall
except artwork and plants stands in similar profusion to the main
entryway. At the end of the hallway there was only one way to turn
and that was left again. There was a wide doorway set a number of
feet back from the turn. It was closed and there was a man standing
in front of it and I couldn't tell if he was either guarding it or
just waiting for us to arrive.

"Is he in?" Carah asked the man.

"Yes," he replied.

"Will he see me?"

The man closed his eyes and concentrated, "He
wants to see the girl first."

Carah's jaw visibly clenched, "Of
course."

The man nodded back down the hallway
indicating to Carah that she should leave. Again, I started to
panic; my heart was racing and though I didn't like her and
distrusted her completely I clutched at Carah not to leave me.
"Please," I begged.

She shook herself free from my grip and after
giving the man a vicious glare callously whirled away. I started
after her but only got a step or two when suddenly my feet wouldn't
obey me. I tried to move but was frozen in place and unable to do
anything but watch as Carah rounded the corner and disappeared from
my view.

"Emily."

I spun around though it was not of my own
volition.

The man opened the door, "Go in."

"No," I whispered and willfully tried to
stand my ground.

The man smiled, "Strong," he said, "good." He
looked hard at me and the next thing I knew I was walking through
the doorway with him close on my heels. I heard the door whisper
closed behind me.  It was dim and I had a hard time making
anything out.

The air seemed cold and the room somewhat
dreary compared to everything else I had seen so far. I felt myself
trembling both from my fear and the chill of the room itself. My
eyes slowly adjusted and I got the impression that we were in a
living room though it was much larger than any I had ever seen.

There was a huge fireplace and furniture
scattered around it; coffee tables and chaises and lounge chairs.
Some of the walls had bookshelves and others had portraits,
pictures and paintings hanging from them. Though there were no
windows there were drapes at appropriate intervals cascading from
the ceiling to the floor to give the impression that there
were.

As we approached the fireplace I noticed a
man standing in front of it with his back toward us. It looked as
though he was staring down into the flames and that he was quite
engrossed by their flickering light.

My heart caught in my throat and I stopped
short staring at him across the distance between us. Slowly the man
began to turn and I could see a bit of his profile. He seemed to
pause for a moment, hesitant to face us for whatever reason. As I
gazed across the short distance to where he stood I felt like I was
looking at something that was divinely made; something magical and
unearthly.

He visibly composed himself, or that was what
I imagined him to be doing and turned fully around.

I took him all in at once – his black hair,
grey-green eyes, thick brows, firm jaw and full lips. I couldn't
breathe I was so captivated by what I saw. He looked just like
Daemon only...only...I couldn't put my finger on it because
something seemed to brush the thought aside.

"Emily," he smiled with a warmth and
affection that implied he knew me and that we were dear friends. He
reached for one of my hands and brushed a kiss across their
knuckles. "I'm so sorry to bring you here like this," he looked
down at me and examined me from head to toe. "Carah told me what
happened," he sighed. "It was very..." he paused as though he was
searching for a suitable word, "unfortunate."

"How..." I started to ask.

"I know everything Carah knows," he assured
me.

"Where are..."

"Let's sit," he glanced over his shoulder,
"and I will tell you everything you need to know for now."

I followed him to one of the chaises and
rather than sitting down beside me he drew one of the lounge chairs
up and sat directly across from me.

"Wait outside, Avery," he called over his
shoulder to the man who brought me in.

When we were alone he pulled his chair in
somewhat closer to me and took my hand again. It was terribly
unnerving for me and I couldn't find the courage to look at him. He
sat quietly for a minute or so while I stared at the floor
contemplating my situation.

"Emily," he reached out his free hand and
tilted my chin so that I would meet his eye. "Emily, I am
Herrik."

"Eric?" I wasn't sure I heard him
correctly.

"No, Herrik, with an H," he grinned.

It was infectious and I found myself smiling
back.

"And this...he glanced around...everything
you see...everything you've seen, is my home. Actually, there are
many, many others who live here, too. Carah and Avery who you've
just met; some like me and some..."

"Like me," I finished for him.

"Yes, but only if they choose to stay...if
they come of their own free will."

"Is that why I am here? I don't want to
stay," I said confident that I understood what he was
suggesting.

"Perhaps, but before we talk about that and
you make any decisions," his voice sincere and solemn, "I want to
talk to you about how you are feeling right now."