Secret Worlds (416 page)

“I can carry you, if you would like,” he said.

“No, but thank you.” I stopped. “Why did you come back?”

“I never left. I was exploring the grounds and the local wildlife.”

“This late?”

He raised his eyebrow, and I looked away, embarrassed.

“I’m glad I didn’t leave,” he said.

I forced my body up another step. “But how did you find us? Only a few people know of these lower levels.”

“I heard your screams. Are you sure I can’t carry you?”

“No. I’m fine. In fact, you can leave now. I appreciate your help, but I’ll be fine.” I didn’t want him to think I was vulnerable, an easy victim.

“Good. I need to talk with Erik.” He grasped my arm, and his fingers caressed my skin. Strangely, the pain in my foot dissipated. “I hope I will see you again.”

My gaze traveled up to his bicep peeking out from his black short-sleeved shirt. A red and black snake tattoo twisted around the large muscle. I met his gaze. “Not likely, but again, thank you for your help.”

As quickly as possible, I moved away, the pain returning the second his touch left me. I continued up the stairs, but when I didn’t hear his footsteps going back down, I glanced behind me. Boaz was gone, as if he’d evaporated.

When I reached the top of the stairs, Sable met me with a bowl of wet jasmine. “These are for you. Wrap them around your knee and your
owie
will be better by morning.”

“It’s my foot,” I clarified, but she was already walking in the opposite direction.

Once inside my bedroom, I collapsed into bed, gritting my teeth. I couldn’t ignore my parents’ abuse any longer. Not because it was much worse than anything else I’d endured, but because today was different; I was eighteen. I always knew when this day came, I would move out. I had no idea where to or how I’d make a living, but I needed to figure it out and soon.

Several minutes later, I withdrew a long jasmine vine from the basin and wrapped it around my foot. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to do this, as Sable hadn’t given any instructions, but it seemed the most likely way. I did the same with a few more vines and then pulled a long sock over the wet plants. Within a few minutes my foot was numb.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. I couldn’t stop thinking of my future, and, to my dismay, Boaz. I couldn’t understand the electrifying sensation that overcame me whenever he was near. It haunted me for hours, and I didn’t know if I was angrier with him or myself for thinking about him.

Because I couldn’t sleep, I rose early and wandered the grounds surrounding the mansion. As Sable had promised, the flesh and skin on my foot had healed. Thy sky was gray, and a light mist lingered in the trees.

Several cars were still parked in the driveway. It was only a matter of time before Erik kicked them out. He never could tolerate the presence of others for very long, including the company of his wife. I wondered every day why they bothered to marry, but more importantly, why they bothered to have a child. Together they were powerful enough. Why did they need me, and why were they so desperate for me to use my abilities?

I liked to think normal parents would’ve been happy with the way I turned out. I always did what they asked, often times going above and beyond, even if I wouldn’t give them the one thing they wanted most.

My powers only manifested when I felt fear, anger, or hatred, and I’d spent my entire life controlling these emotions, despite what Erik and Sable did to me. Boaz, however, had elicited those negative emotions in a single evening.

I moved quietly into the house, hoping to go unnoticed as usual, but today was not a usual day.

Sable called from the kitchen, “Eve, darling, come join us for breakfast.” She was using her sweet voice, which meant she wanted something.

Erik and Sable stood together, shoulder to shoulder, next to the dining room table. Their eyes followed me until I sat at the only chair with a place setting in front of it. I picked up a spoon and took a bite of cold oatmeal.

“Aren’t you going to say hello to your parents?” Sable asked.

“Is that what you want?” I never knew.

Erik’s left eye twitched, and his upper lip receded. “You better not mess this up.”

“Mess what up?”

“Your relationship with Boaz.”

“I don’t have a relationship with him nor will I.”

“Yes, you will. He made his intentions very clear last night. You and he will be an excellent match.”

“What is so special about Boaz?” I said, without thinking.

Sable slapped my face hard. “Never speak of him that way! We are alive because of his mercy.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Sable could be very dramatic, but I noticed that Erik did not disagree. He simply looked away as if it were fact—one he was not pleased about, either.

I hated that I had been born into a supernatural family. We lived by rules that normal humans didn’t. Where they were free to choose whom they married, those like me often had arranged marriages, which had nothing to do with love. It was all about elevating our position of power among our kind and the humans. We needed to be able to influence laws and policy for the day we made our kind known publicly, an event my parent’s assured me was soon coming.

“Does it matter at all what I want?” I asked, my voice softer.

“Has it ever?” Sable countered.

Erik walked out of the room without looking back. He’d said what he’d wanted and would not waste another word. Sable looked as if she wanted to say more, but apparently thought better of it. She turned and rushed after Erik.

I sighed and pushed the bowl away. I would never have a relationship with Boaz. The thought sickened me. Besides, he was a vampire, and I was a human. It couldn’t work even if I had wanted it to—not well anyway. So what were my parents thinking?

***

A week passed, as did the image of Boaz from my mind. My thoughts returned to my immanent plan for escape. I needed to earn just enough money for a bus ticket and food to the city. Once there, I could stay at a shelter until I secured a job. I’d found one the other day on the Internet while Jane was preoccupied speaking to one of her children on her phone. I wish I could ask for her help, but her allegiance was to my parents. Besides, I would never put her in that position, especially not after what they did to our neighbor’s daughter.

It was late in the afternoon and a beautiful day for October. I had no intention of staying indoors. At least that’s what I told myself, but the truth was, Erik and Sable were returning from a visit with Erik’s parents, whom I’d never met, in Connecticut. I never understood why, but they always returned home angry at each other. Weeks, sometimes months, would go by before they would speak to each other again, which meant their attention was on me. Most of my abuse had been during these times.

I dressed in my riding gear and headed to the stables. Horse riding was the only activity they sometimes would allow, and since they weren’t around for me to ask, I figured it was okay.

After saddling my gray mare, Storm, I rode into the forest. My parents owned hundreds of acres, all private with no trespassing signs. I only knew half of what went on in these woods; the other half I didn’t want to know. My parents didn’t just throw parties for humans but also for those in power among supernatural creatures. Those parties were always outside, deep inside the forest. I avoided them at all costs.

When I reached a small clearing besides a shallow creek, I stopped Storm. During the cooler months, this was my favorite place. The wide gap in the canopy of trees let in just enough sunlight to warm the ground. I withdrew a heavy blanket and spread it over dead grass.

With a book in hand, I lay there and buried my feet beneath a fold in the blanket. I’d only read a few pages when a soft wind blew my hair away from my neck. It was surprisingly warm for the cooler temperature, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth. Suddenly the air became more focused and the slight breeze changed to that of a soft caress down the nape of my neck. I sucked in air and let the gentle touch linger against my skin longer than I should have. Finally, I exhaled and opened my eyes.

It didn’t take me long to find Boaz leaning against a tree on the other side of the brook, his arms folded to his chest. His black hair fell long to his shoulders. When a familiar flutter of confusion clouded my mind, I quickly averted my gaze.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said. Hunwald, the wolf, stood absolutely still by his side.

I kept my focus on the book, even though a part of me wanted to look up and see his face, to feel the power lurking behind the glossy surface of his eyes. “I’m perfectly fine alone, and if you don’t mind, that’s how I’d like to stay.”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a fair maiden alone in the big, bad woods?”

“I can assure you, you are no gentleman and therefore are not required to act like one.” I continued to pretend to read, but after a minute under the pressure of his stare, I dropped the book and said more forcefully, “Please leave.”

“I told you: I’m not leaving you alone.”

I slapped the book down at my side. “What are you even doing here?”

“I heard you were in trouble.”

“Trouble? What are you talking about?” I sat up, thinking hard. Maybe my parents came home early and found me missing. They would definitely be upset if they knew I left without permission. A wave of nausea washed over me.

“You don’t look so well,” he said, stepping toward me.

“I have to go.” I quickly gathered my belongings, praying my parents were still away.

“I should see you home,” Boaz said.

I shook my head and lifted onto Storm’s back, my thoughts torn between him and getting home. “I’ll be fine.”

With a nudge to her gut, Storm galloped away. My heartbeat matched the rapid rhythm of her hooves, bu-bum, bu-bum, over and over. Boaz appeared in my mind. Bu-bum, bu-bum. His caress sliding down my skin, his tongue against my wrist. Bu-bum, bu-bum.

I pulled the reins, bringing Storm to a slow walk. What was wrong with me? I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see Boaz, but I was alone. I shouldn’t have these feelings, but I couldn’t deny there was something that drew me to him. The air hummed in his presence, and it electrified my skin and vibrated my nerves. It was as though the magic inside me was reacting to him, as if he were metal and I a magnet.

Storm stopped abruptly, jolting me out of my thoughts. She stomped her feet and snorted.

I patted her broad neck. “What is it, girl?”

Without warning, she reared, making me lose my balance, and I tumbled to the ground. The bone in my arm snapped just before my head smacked against a rock and exploded in pain. Stunned, I reached for the back of my head with my good arm and felt something warm and wet. I moved my hand in front of my eyes and sucked in air—blood.

To my right, an unnatural movement caught my eye. Something shaped like a man with grayish white skin from head to foot stepped out from behind a tree. His chest was abnormally large on top of his skinny legs. Each bulging rib looked like it was about to burst from his leathered skin. His patchy hair and wide eyes shined a brilliant white; only his lips were a dark gray. The creature hobbled awkwardly toward me, shifting in uneven spurts. There wasn’t anything particularly frightening about his expressionless face, but his intentions clouded and darkened the air around him.

He meant to kill me.

I scooted backwards on the ground, away from the gray creature whose strides were extraordinary long. His upper lip flared into a snarl, revealing razor sharp teeth, and he snapped them like a rabid dog. My mind raced, trying to recall any kind of spell I might use against him, but my head was more full of pain than any useable thoughts.

He was almost upon me when out of nowhere a dark blur slammed into the monster, flipping his grayish body into the air. As the beast fell down, I recognized my savior: Boaz. He caught the creature in his arms and snapped its back upon his thigh. He rolled the limp figure from his leg, and before the body hit the ground, Boaz was by my side.

“Are you all right?” he asked. His eyebrows pulled tightly together, shadowing the dark tunnels that stared at me.

Words were even harder to access than my thoughts.

“What is it, Eve?”

I wanted to say that I was fine, but my eyes fluttered close. I forced them open again and attempted to sit up. I had to get home. I had to get away from Boaz.

“Let me help you,” Boaz said. He reached around my shoulders, but stopped suddenly. He must have seen or smelled the blood—I couldn’t be sure which. Very gently, he turned my head to the side and smoothed the hair away to examine the wound.

His face contorted and twisted into rage, but he said nothing. Instead, he stood up and returned to the lifeless body he had killed. With one hard kick, he sent it flying into the top of a tree. The branches groaned under the weight until they snapped, and the monster fell. On its way back to the ground, branches tore at its leathery skin, exposing a black substance that oozed like tar from the wounds.

The last thing I remembered before losing consciousness was Boaz picking me up and cradling me to his chest.

***

I opened my eyes, blinking several times. I was back in my bedroom. The red sheer curtains around my canopy bed were drawn except for a small gap at the corner where the curtains met. I couldn’t tell whether it was night or day; someone had drawn the blinds on my windows.

I was about to call out, hoping Jane might be around, but quickly shut my mouth when I heard Boaz’s voice: “This isn’t the way. You hurt her.”

He spoke low, but the sharp tone of his voice was as if he were yelling. He stood not far away, his dark silhouette looming over Erik’s.

“Sable has already taken care of it,” Erik said. “For now.”

“You better be right.” Boaz crossed the room to my dresser and picked up something small from its top.

“She’s useless to us, Boaz,” Erik said. “You know that. My father gave us permission.”

Boaz dropped whatever he was looking at, and faster than I could blink, was across the room gripping Erik by the throat. “You won’t touch her without
my
permission, do you understand?”