The Darkest Night

Chapter 12

Voices, low and aggressive. That was the first thing that penetrated the nothingness. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy. Struggling, I managed to open my eyes, but everything in the room was blurry. I couldn't make out anything in detail but had a vague sense that Victor was standing over Darius who was kneeling at his feet. The world looked sideways, and I realized I was lying down on the pull-out couch. Trying to get up was beyond what I was capable of at the moment. I must have let out some sort of a noise because the voices stopped. A figure loomed over me saying something. Desperately, I focused on what was being said, trying to make sense of the words.

"Elizabeth! Can you hear me?" The voice was deep and soothing. I wanted to listen to it all day long. I closed my eyes and sighed, letting the void take me once more.

Scratching sounds woke me up the second time. My head hurt, and the room swam as I tried to sit up. Instantly, a firm hand was on my arm, stabilizing me, helping me. "Whoa there, easy now move slowly." Victor's voice was laced with concern. That surprised me. I knew he wasn't going to kill me, but I didn't think he cared beyond just keeping me alive. Was I that close to death then? "How are you feeling?" His face was right in front of mine. The edges were still blurry but if I focused hard enough my vision would hold steady.

"Wha, what happened?" My head started pounding something fiercely. I lifted one arm to push the heel of my palm into my temple to ease the pain. Even the sound of my own voice seemed too much to bear. A cool glass was being pressed into my free hand. Gratefully, I gulped down the water. The glass was taken away as soon as I pulled it away from my lips. I heard the slight clink of the glass being placed somewhere.

"I was a fool, is what happened." Weariness laced his tone as he sat down next to me. "I should have made sure Darius had fed before coming to see you." Blinking at his words my memories slowly returned. Darius' eyes darkened to black, him grabbing my hand, the tracing of my veins, pulling me into his lap, and him feeding on me. I grabbed at my neck, panicked at what I might feel. Smooth skin met my fingertips. "I healed your wounds, but you lost a lot of blood, so you might feel some dizziness and lightheadness for a few hours. I had cookies and juice sent up for you to help." He pointed to another silver tray on the desk, this time with some cookies heaped in the middle on a plate and a glass of orange juice on the side. Another vial of blood was there as well. I lifted an eyebrow at the vial but made no comment.

"What did Darius do to me?" My voice wavered, weak, and I hated that I was so vulnerable around Victor. Grabbing the tray, he settled down next to me on the bed, placing it between us.

"Eat and I will explain." Taking a cookie, I bit into it, chewing slowly. "Darius did what any vampire is capable of. I apologize again. I thought my son had better self-control than to seduce a human under my protection." Bowing his head slightly in an apology, he continued. "Ahem, Vampires have the ability to seduce or dazzle humans into being willing prey." Shifting his weight he waited for me to take another bite.

"That must make it easy for you. Humans won't scream or freak out as much if they are, um, dazzled like that." Taking another bite, I waited for him to keep talking. The sound of his voice made me feel safe somehow.

"That's right. Darius is a little bit better at it than most. I should have known he would try and feed on you. I really am sorry about that. This was not the reason why I'm keeping you in this room, I assure you." He reached out to grab my hand only to have me involuntarily flinch it out of his grasp. I regretted my reaction almost immediately when I saw his face close over. He cleared his throat before speaking again, straightening his shoulders as he did so. "I have admonished him, and he will not be doing that to you again." He stood up suddenly to pace back and forth. It was clear that something was gnawing at him. I finished another few cookies and sipped on my juice. Dancing around the vial unsure how I feel about drinking anymore. Victor walked back over to the desk and started writing. I guess he decided to ignore me for now while I ate. The scratching of his pen on the paper was soothing.

Sighing, I plucked the vial off the tray, uncapping it. I steeled myself for the taste and downed the contents once more. Wincing at the taste, I repressed a shudder and replaced the vial back on the tray with an audible clink. Looking up, I saw Victor watching me. "Do you hate the taste that much?" Curiosity etched his face. It looked like he honestly wanted to know what I thought.

"Well, I mean it wouldn't be my first drink of choice, but it's not as terrible as I thought it would taste." I chased the blood with a big gulp of the cold orange juice. Washing away the lingering aftertaste. A wry smile graced Victor's full lips.

"Be grateful then that you only have another day's worth to drink." He bent his head back to what he was writing.

"What are you working on? Umm, if you don't mind me asking that is?" I hastily added when I saw him glance at me with an unreadable expression.

"I was catching up on some work while I waited for you to wake up. This is just some business that couldn't wait till later." He waved his hand over the papers. Wait. Does that mean he was with me the whole time I was asleep?

"Oh," My voice sounded small.

"Is there anything else you need right now Elizabeth?" He started gathering his papers and had his back to me.

"No, I think I'll be OK for now."

"In that case. I will leave you be. I stocked the bathroom with what you might need if you wish to clean up." He looked pointedly at my neck. Reaching up, I felt the dried up blood crumble against my fingers. Gross. I was definitely going to take a long shower and scrub myself down. "I will be back with you dinner later." Saying this, he took the empty tray off the bed and left the room, leaving me alone for now.

Sighing, I leaned against the back of the pullout couch and released all the tension I didn't realize I was feeling. I had almost died, I think. Opening my eyes, I reached for my bag that was on the ground and dug for a clean change of clothes. I noticed the books I had packed were in there. Remembering the bag Darius had brought earlier, I looked around for it. Finding it tipped over and its contents almost spilling out, I unpacked it slowly. I found a watch at the bottom that told me it was 3:15 P.M. Finally! I knew what time it was. This would help me keep my days straight. I placed the watch on the armrest of the couch and stacked the books gently on the desk. There were some history books that, upon closer inspection, were about vampires, some fantasy novels and, sigh, of course, romance novels. That was Darius teasing me again. I know I should fear or hate him for almost draining me dry, but I couldn't seem to bring myself to.

Laying out a clean change of clothes, I slowly made my way to the bathroom. Taking my time untangling my hair as I waited for the water to warm up, I couldn't help seeing flashes of Darius' black eyes staring at me hungrily. Sighing, I tried to chase the vision of his eyes out of my head by remembering the cedar and sandalwood scent of Victor. How his low, deep voice soothed my worries and eased my fears. Green eyes replaced the black in my mind as I felt myself relax even further. My shoulders lowered slightly as the tension in them eased. Jaw muscles unclenched and a sigh slipped out. Seeing the steam above the curtain was a tell-tale sign that the shower was ready.

I climbed into the shower, moving as slowly as I could. Slipping was a very real concern of mine, especially with how lightheaded I still was. I was pleased to see a handrail was in place along one wall and a small chair was placed in the shower as well. Victor had, of course, stocked the shower with all my favorite products. I really had to figure out how he knew all this about me. I lathered up my hair and started to feel human once more. Getting clean always made me feel better. Finishing as quickly and safely as I could, I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a thick black towel around me as I got out. Walking over to the small mirror, I swiped it clear, getting the first real look at myself today. As expected, I was a little on the pale side. My blue eyes seemed bigger somehow. Maybe it was because they were the only color I had right now. Dark chestnut hair hung limp and in thick ropes around my face. Examining my neck, I saw no trace of where Darius' fangs had penetrated my neck. All trace of the blood was washed down the drain. Relief etched itself on my face. Hopefully, everything would return to normal. Well, for whatever passed as normal around here.