Bound to the Shadow Prince

Chapter 7: Vampire

My head pounded. I groaned as I tried to sit up, but I fell back down on the comfortable bed. I felt weak and parts of my body felt numb. There was a smell on the bed that made me want to wiggle deeper into the covers and never move again, at least not until my head stopped hurting.

I noticed then that something was covering my vision. A piece of fabric was wrapped around my eyes, a blindfold. My fingers touched the edge of the material of my blindfold.

A hand gently pulled my fingers away.

“I wouldn’t do that just yet.”

I knew that voice. It was my stranger. The one that sat next to me by the ocean and the one that must have saved me last night.

I turned towards the voice. “It’s you.” Even my voice sounded weak as it came out a little more than a whisper.

“Yes. Can you sit up?”

Slowly, I tried to sit up. But my head pounded harder, and my muscles refused to work. I fell back down on the bed.

“No.”

I felt a shift in the bed. “Let me help you.”

A hand moved underneath my back, slowly lifting me up. I groaned at the pain my body was in. He leaned me against his chest, shifting his body underneath me for better support. I laid my head against his shoulder, unwilling to do more.

“I have a drink that will make you feel better. Much better.”

His firm hand took mine, placing it on a cup, warm to the touch.

“Take it slow or else you’ll get light-headed from the sudden rush of blood to your head.”

I whispered, “What?”

“Just take it slow to start.”

He helped me bring the drink to my lips. The smell itself was enticing. I took a small sip. It was sweet, salty, with protein and other things. I didn't know exactly what was in it, but I loved the taste. Nothing in my life had ever tasted so fulfilling and amazing. I took a gulp, wanting more and more. My stranger kept pulling the drink away, only allowing me little sips at a time.

But as the warmth of it slid down my throat and heat entered my body, my headache began to subside, I felt energy enter my limbs and muscles. I felt stronger and more alive. I pulled away from leaning on my stranger as I grabbed the drink from his hands and gulped down the rest. I was disappointed when I found my glass empty.

My stranger moved off the bed. I felt the cup being removed from my hands.

“That tasted amazing. Do you have more?”

He chuckled softly. The noise came from ahead of me. He must now be sitting in front of me. “Let it settle first.”

Now that I felt significantly better, I brought my hands up to take off my blindfold. He quickly grabbed my hands.

“Not just yet. You need to trust me a little longer.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re in my home, and you're safe here.”

I tilted my head at that particular word I had started to hear a lot more often.

He chuckled. “At least my version of safe. Do you feel safe here?”

Strangely, I felt calm. I was with a stranger in a place I did not know, only able to see darkness; yet, I felt relaxed.

“I don’t know where here is, but I feel safe with you.” I shrugged. “At least my version of safe.”

“One of these days we will have to define to each other what each of our versions of safe is.”

“Why can’t I take it off?”

A small hesitancy before he said, “Things about you have changed after last night. It will be easier if you are eased into it.”

I began to remember more and more of the previous night. The fear as I ran into the forest with a man that pursued me. How he had bit into my shoulder, paralyzing me. I felt myself tremble at the memories. I could feel my literal life being sucked away and I could do nothing.

My stranger’s hands went to my arms as they shook. I knew last night that I was dying. At first, it scared me, but when my stranger held me, it suddenly didn’t seem so bad to die.

My breath came in shaky.

“Stay here,” The voice whispered. “That is in the past, you are not there anymore. Focus on the now.”

I whispered, “How am I still alive?” I should be dead, I could feel it, I knew it.

“Let’s just say, for now, there was an alternative. Tell me, how do you feel? Focus on that for a moment.”

I took a long exhale, calming myself. I was alive, not sure how, but I was grateful. I focused on how I was feeling.

“I feel…” I tilted my head. “A little hollow like something a part of me is gone, or maybe just replaced with something different?” I huffed. “Sorry, I am sure I sound ridiculous.”

“No, you don’t. Keep going.”

I shook my head trying to pinpoint exactly what was different. “I don’t feel as warm as I used to. I feel almost like I shouldn’t be here- here as in still… alive?” I touched my hand to my face. I was sure I was sounding like an i***t. “I’m sorry, I know this all sounds-”

“It doesn’t. Trust me. Let us go to touch.” He turned my hands, palms facing up. “What do you feel?”

I focused on my hands and what was around my skin. I brought my legs in.

“I feel the fabric of my cotton dress.”

“Go further.”

Again, I focused on my hands. I could feel a string of warmth coming from the side. It wrapped around my hand, somehow lightly warming my cold skin. “I feel a warmth on my left hand, it slight. It's coming from…” I tilted my head to the side, “From that direction.”

“The window is over there, it's daylight, but the curtains are closed. You’re feeling the indirect heat of the sun.”

From this far away? That didn’t make sense.

“What do you hear?” he said.

I turned my attention to my hearing. “I hear your breathing.” I heard the slow badum, badum, badum of his heart. I scrunched my forehead, not understanding. “I hear your heart?”

“Yes, I hear yours too.”

“How can I hear your heart? Why can I hear your heart?” I started to panic. What happened to me last night?

“Relax. I’ll explain soon. What else can you hear?”

I took a deep breath, and listened again. I heard a small flap flap sound again to my left where he said the window was.

“I hear the flapping of wings, I guess outside the window.”

A pause. “I hear it too, it’s a bird. I believe there is a nest above the window.”

“Why can I hear all this?”

“Tell me what you smell?”

I huffed, starting to feel overwhelmed and exasperated.

He said, “Stay with me a little longer. What do you smell?”

I focused on that sense. “You. You smell rustic like pine and spices. I like it.”

I gasped, embarrassed I had said such things. I put my hands to my cheeks in hopes to hide the blush I knew would come. But I never felt the heat rush to my face.

He chuckled. “I’ve never been told that before.”

“Can-can you smell me?” As soon as I asked that question, I realized how terrible it sounded and weird. Again, I felt embarrassment sweep over me. “Don’t answer that.” I nervously touched my hair, knowing I must smell terrible after whatever happened.

His voice was gentle as he pulled my hand from my hair. “You smell like the breeze that comes off the ocean with a hint of lavender.”

I pulled my lips in feeling an unfamiliar warmth come over me.

He touched the sides of my face, grabbing the bottom of my blindfold.

“I’m going to take this off now. It will feel overwhelming at first, just find one thing to focus on.”

I nodded.

My stranger pulled the blindfold off. I blinked several times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the light of the room. When I looked up, everything was vibrant and sharper. I could see everything in great detail. I could see the cracks in the stone, the lint in the air, the wrinkles in the dark curtains, dust particles falling. My head moved side to side and my eyes couldn’t seem to truly focus on anything because of how much there was to see. How was this a thing? How was this possible?

“Look at me.”

My eyes flicked to his. Green. I could see the small details inside his iris. A darker green in the middle as it expanded out to a slightly lighter green. I hadn’t really been able to see my stranger in the dark, but now I saw him with perfect clarity. He had dark brown hair, his skin was pale, yet it shimmered like tiny gems that played in the light. I could see every angle of his face from his defined jaw to his low cheekbones.

“Better?” He asked

I nodded.

“It will get easier.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

There was a slight hesitation. “Erevus.”

“Erevus,” I whispered back, never hearing a name like that before.

His features softened. There was a calming nature about him. Yet, I could feel a dominant, commanding presence in him. There was an intensity in his eyes that would make any person weary if they ever faced him in battle.

I said, “Isadora.”

“Isadora,” he whispered back. He spoke my name as if he was witnessing the first flower of spring bloom and again an unfamiliar warmth spread inside of me.

I looked around more calmly, taking in the bedroom. There were three large windows to my left with barely any light streaming from the corners.

It dawned on me that the room should be dark right now, yet I was able to see it in perfect clarity, as if the windows were wide open and nothing to block the sun.

“It should be dark in here. Why do I see…” I looked back to Erevus. “How is any of this possible?”

Erevus did not look away from me as he spoke, “Last night, a vampire was draining the blood from you when I found you. You were moments away from death, and I couldn’t let you die.”

I saw the internal struggle he was going through, and it made me curious what it was or the price he paid not to let me die.

“I turned you into a vampire.”