Lurking in the Shadows (Completed)

Chapter 8

Mina

The lessons with Jasper have continued, but sometimes I’d just snap with anger. It’s gotten worse over the weeks and months since the winter ball. There’d be days where I wouldn’t leave my room. Sometimes it’d hurt so much that I’d scream! The clothes in my closet just don’t seem to reflect this new me anymore so I put a blanket over them for now.

“Nyx! I’m using some of your dresses!” I shouted to her, and she looked at me shocked. I went to her closet and just stared at her dark gothic dresses.

“Uuhh… sure?” I grabbed what fit my fancy. Some black ones, red and black, dark blues, dark green, dark purple, pretty much anything. I probably took about twenty dresses… no shame. I hung the rest back in my closet and chose for the day a simple dark forest green regency dress. “Uuhh… Mina?? What are you wearing??” Nyx looks at me like she hadn’t seen me before.

“A dress?” I’m so confused. Why is she treating me differently?

“Yeah I see that, but you don’t normally wear dark dresses. You like to wear floral or pastels sometimes both. What’s going on?” She looks at me with concern and I’m just tired of people asking me that!

“Nothing is going on! I’m fine! Now leave my room!” I growled at her. I never growl at my family… Nyx, looking just as shocked, just walked quickly out of my room. I hear her room door slam and I slump in a chair near my window. This is as close to it I can get lately without feeling the sun through my heavy curtains now… makes me wish I could feel the sun again without a huge headache and the sun blistering me… I let out a deep sigh and heard a light knock on my door.

“I’m not in the mood for entertaining people!” I shout at the door angrily.

“It’s Jasper, are you alright?” He sounded concerned, but I just wanted to be left alone!

“I’m fine!” I growled again. I heard the door open slightly, and I ran toward the door. “I said I’m not in the mood for entertainment!”

“Geez, even shoving me away! What happened to doing this together!? This isn’t the Mina I know!” He shouts at me and I see his amber eyes turning dark red meaning he’s getting angry.

“Yeah well maybe she’s tired of being the meek and quiet one all the time because that’s what led me to this mess!” I hiss at him like a cat meaning that he should leave, but he doesn’t. I see the chalice in his hand and a knife in the other. “What are you planning on doing with that?” I point to the things in his hands.

“I came over because Nyx was worried about you! Rummaging through her closet, changing your style in clothes, shouting at her, making her leave! This isn’t you!” He puts his hands on my shoulders and I dodge his hands, making him fall onto the floor. “Mina…” He looks up at me shocked.

“Get away from me!” I run into my bathroom and lock the door. Sobbing my eyes out…

“Mina… open the door…” I unlock it, but shearing pain runs through me. I scream out in pain and I barely hear what Jasper is saying. “Mina! Mina! Help is on the way!” I kept on screaming in pain… it was almost unbearable… but then I smelled it… blood… and it smelled heavenly… I sat up and growled at whoever was in front of me. Someone was bleeding, and I needed it… very much.

“Where’s the blood!? Where is it!?” I growled at whoever was there. I fell onto the floor stumbling… I felt someone catch me but I didn’t see who. All I saw was their bloody arms, and the most mouthwatering scent. Applewood, bourbon and fallen leaves. I grabbed the bloody arm and fed on it. It tasted like the most delicious caramel I’ve ever tasted! I probably fed off of that person for minutes.

“Mina that’s enough you’re going to hurt him!” Jasper warned me, but I couldn’t help myself. I finished my gulp, and I felt some blood drip from my mouth.

“Who was that…” I tried to ask my question but I must’ve fallen asleep. By the time I woke up again it was nighttime and I could open my balcony to feel the warming temperatures of spring coming soon.

“Feeling better?” I hear the voice and jump.

“Aahh! Who are you?!”

“Relax, it's just me!” Jasper comes into the moonlight and I relax.

“Jasper! What are you doing here??” He looks like he’s been in a fight. His sleeve all bloody, clothes disheveled, his once elegant ponytail now all in disarray.

“You got into your first frenzy… Mina have you been feeding like I’ve told you to?” I’m honestly horrified… I can’t believe it…

“Yeah, I have a bag or two a day.”

“That’s not enough… not nearly enough! No wonder you went into a frenzy! You’re not feeding enough! You should have those at every meal!” Jasper scolds me like father would and I don’t mind it.

“There was someone else here… someone not from my family… I think I fed off that person… he smelled so delicious that I probably could’ve just drank from that person and be very satisfied.” I blush at the hazy memory.

“Your father is looking after him.”

“Him?” I perk my head up at that.

“He’s a friend of mine. Charming young man, barely a fledgling himself. I’d also sire him if he wasn’t waiting for his beloved.”

“Can you sire more than one fledgling?” I asked him confusedly.

“Oh yeah, you can, but you gotta be careful who they are.” He smiles at me lovingly and I smile back.

“Sorry about earlier…” I was sheepish about the whole evening.

“It’s alright. It happens to the best of us.” He gave me a hug and I can still smell the blood on his clothes.

“Why are you covered in blood?” I asked him worriedly. “Do you need to see someone?”

“No, I'll heal eventually. I cut myself in case you needed to feed off of me again, but my friend Victor wanted to do it. He felt drawn to you for some reason.” He smirks at me as he tells me and I’m confused.

“Drawn to me? Why?” I asked him out of curiosity.

“I’ll introduce you two at the spring ball, and you can make your own judgment.” He smirks at me like he knows something, but hides it from me.

“If this whole transformation doesn’t change who I am completely… I could’ve hurt someone, Jasper!” I sit down on my bed when the realization of what just happens hits me. “I could’ve killed that man I fed from…”

“No, you can’t.” He smirks again and this secret he’s keeping from me is getting annoying.

“Why not?” I cross my arms around my chest getting annoyed with him.

“You’ll find out soon enough. He’s going to stay here as my guest, just as your father keeps me around as his guest.” I blush at the thought of bumping into him around the house. Suddenly my huge manor feels so small right now.

“Very well, but who knows what power I’ll inherit from my ‘sire’. I’m so worried about this. I’ve been wearing my goddess Nyx necklace father gave me every day since he gave it to me.”

“Maybe she could help. If you see more owls than usual, she may be watching over you.”

“Now that you mention it… I’ve seen this dark, almost black barn owl near the window.” I looked out the window to see if it was there, but it wasn’t yet.

“That could be her. She controls nocturnal animals so I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s watching over you. Enough of such grim matters, let’s go get something to eat.” He holds out his hand and we head downstairs to the kitchen. Juniper greets me with a hug as if she hadn’t seen me in years and I just accept it.

“My goodness Miss Mina! You’ve been giving us quite a scare!” She cups my cheeks gently to look into my eyes. “They’re almost blood red… I think it means your transformation is almost done.” I turned to Jasper frightened. He nods his head confirming what she said.

“How long do I have?” I ask them with tears in my eyes. He cups his hands on my cheeks to look at my eyes and his smile slowly fades.

“Couple days at most, if we’re lucky maybe we could hold off until the spring ball in a couple of weeks.” I couldn’t help but sob. This isn’t how I wanted things to go… “We’ll get through this… together, remember?” I nodded my head gently. Juniper hands me a bowl of strawberries and blood sausage.

“I’m kinda thirsty, and I did just feed, but I miss the drink that you used to make for us.” Juniper smiles and gets to work on it. Juice of a blood orange, handfuls of strawberries, blueberries, and coconut water. She makes one for all of us and we all enjoy ourselves. I’ve missed spending time in the kitchen with Juniper. Her kitchen is so relaxing. Herbs being dried everywhere, bottles of who knows what in the cabinets along with more fresh herbs. Stone all around the gas stove, a wooden island to prepare her recipes, exposed beams on the ceiling with herbs hanging off of them. Four small signs on a small wall near the stove with different varieties of teas. Things for love, courage, health, money, that sort of thing on one sign but the other was real recipes. Divination, dream, psychic, meditation, headaches, psychic healing?? Another two were for what various teas do and another small recipe. Her pantry was full of dried goods and bottled stuff, but stuck to the door was more tea recipes, things for various needs, the ABCs of a kitchen witch, and I glanced at the last square of something before I sniffed the air for a moment and realized something was burning!

“Oh, Juniper you have something burning!” I panic when I tell her.

“Relax dear, I’m burning a lavender smudge stick.” I give her a confused look and she just giggles at me. “It’s used for cleansing, psychic protection, clairvoyance, creating the energy of happiness and healing. Purification and tranquility. I might burn some juniper next. Helps my mind when I’m tired.”

“Oh… well at least it smells nice.” At least she’s happy, and it puts my mind at ease.

“Here let me help you with a relaxing tea.” She grabs a teacup, and her various ingredients. Her kettle is already on with warm milk boiling.

“What are you making?” I ask her out of curiosity Jasper right behind me.

“Oh, it’s just a bedtime tea. Cinnamon, chamomile, rose petals, lavender, honey, a vanilla bean and almond milk.” She gives me a little smile. “A tsp of cinnamon, rose, chamomile, lavender and chamomile. A cup of milk, half of the vanilla, and honey to taste. I know you like sweet things so I may go a little heavy on the honey.” She knows me so well. She added the vanilla to the milk as it was simmering. “It won’t take long for the milk to warm up, just seven minutes. Warming it up also helps you breathe in the magic.” Once it was warmed up to her satisfaction, she poured it gently into the mugs and put the herbs in. “After five minutes we’ll remove the steeper and add the honey.”

“Have you made this before?” I asked her again out of curiosity.

“Oh yeah lots of times, especially for your father and Nyx. They’ve been so tired looking for this darn sire of yours.”

“Oh…” I hadn’t thought of that.

“It’s alright dear, we’ll find him and he will pay for his crimes.” She hugged me and I couldn’t help but get teary.

“I hope so…” I wiped away the tears that threatened to fall and sip at my tea. It’s actually pretty good. “Thanks for the tea. I’ll take it upstairs.”

“Are you sure dear? You can take your berries and sausage too or I can have a servant bring them for you.” She looks at me worriedly and I try to give her the best smile I could.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I need to sleep during the day, anyway.” I take my food and tea and head back to my room. Curtains drawn and just in a state of loneliness… times like these I wish I had my mate around. I finish my food and tea and just lay down to sleep.