“How are you, Mona?” I smelt the rum on his breath as soon as he opened his mouth. “I’ve missed you.”
I ignored him and stood up.
“I’ve b-brought you something.” He withdrew a shiny conch shell from behind his back. “Do you like it? I found it myself.”
His grey eyes were bloodshot and rolled in their sockets. I’d never seen him so drunk. His presence unnerved me. I turned to walk away, still without saying a word, but his hand reached out and latched onto my arm.
“Don’t you like it?”
Normally, his advances were irritating, or awkward at best. But this night was different. I scoured the crowd more closely for the first time, hoping I might see Matteo or Saira sitting there. That was when I caught sight of red eyes glinting at me from the shadows.
I looked back at Giles.
“Let go, Giles,” I hissed.
With my free hand, I reached for the dagger I kept strapped to my belt. But, dropping the shell, he caught that hand too. Despite him being intoxicated, it frightened me how fast his reflexes were.
“And if I don’t leave you alone?” he whispered, a grin forming on his lips.
The vampire’s grip tightened. When I looked around again, everyone seemed too busy merrymaking to notice my predicament. Except Kiev, who sat alone. He held my gaze with his dark crimson eyes.
Then he stood up, and in what felt like less than two seconds, he had reached us. He placed a hand on Giles’ shoulder and—to my shock—said in a low menacing voice, “Don’t touch her.”
Giles swiveled his neck around, blinking at Kiev.
“And who are you? Her uncle?” He chuckled.
Kiev’s glare didn’t let up. He caught both of Giles’ forearms and gripped them. Kiev’s arm muscles bulged from the force he was applying to Giles, who was now wincing.
“Let go,” Kiev said, his voice steady. “The lady doesn’t want to be touched.”
Giles looked indignant. I thought he was about to fight back. He stood staring at Kiev for several moments. But then he took a step back and, scowling, resumed his seat by the fire.
I looked up at Kiev, unable to hide my surprise.
“Why?” I whispered.
Wordlessly, he walked over to a plate in front of the fire, bent down and returned with another skewer of sea vegetables. I looked at the one I had been eating, now squashed on the ground, and took it from him, still eyeing him suspiciously as I bit in.
“Why what?” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at me.
“Why did you just do that?”
“That should be obvious.”
“Well, it’s not,” I said, widening my eyes at him.
“Witch, you were utterly clueless. If I hadn’t interfered, you’d be in that vampire’s bedroom right now. I’ll accompany you back home too.”
I didn’t know what had possessed me, but for a moment I had been expecting him to tell me that he had done it to apologize for his behavior the other night.
“You pompous ass,” I muttered.
I threw my unfinished skewer into the fire and stalked off.
Chapter 23: Kiev
Damn it.
Ungrateful witch.
My first attempt had backfired. It was disappointing, but my failure only served to fuel the fire to conquer the challenge that was Mona.
And the sooner I win at this, the sooner this nonsense is over.
The next evening, as soon as the sun set, I rushed through the forest to the bank of the lake and, discarding my shirt, jumped in. The clear water was cool and pleasant to swim in, and it wasn’t long before I had reached her cabin.
I gripped hold of the edge of the wooden platform that led to her front door and hoisted myself up. Dripping wet, I knocked three times. When she didn’t open the door after more than five seconds, I knocked again, more impatiently this time.
“Who is it?” the witch’s voice called.
“Kiev.”
“Go away.”
“I have something for you.”
“I don’t want it.”
I crept around to the large glass doors that opened onto the verandah. No sooner had I reached them than she ran around the cabin drawing all the curtains.
“Go away,” she called again.
I walked back round to the entrance and entertained the idea of just breaking down the door. But I paused as my hand wrapped around the doorknob.
Wait. I can’t do that. It will make her more hostile.
I continued to prowl around the cabin, looking through the windows for any gaps she might have left in the curtains. But she had done a thorough job at blocking me out.
In a last-ditch attempt, I degraded myself to begging.
“Please?”
Silence.
Angered that even this had been in vain, I brought my fist down hard against a small wooden table in the corner. Too hard. A crack filled the air. To my horror, the table gave way and fell to pieces.
No. No. Now she’s going to hate me more.
I scrambled around on the deck looking for… God knew what. I didn’t know what the hell I expected to find on that narrow porch. Glue?
The front door opened and Mona stormed out, wearing a short black nightdress.
“What the hell, vampire?”
Her eyes blazed when she saw what I had done. She ran at me, and although she wasn’t heavy, the unexpected force knocked me back into the water.
“Go. Away.”
The foundations of her cabin shuddered as she slammed the door shut.
Disheartened but still in no way defeated, I swam back to the mainland.
The first thing I did was seek out the ogre, Brett, whom she had appeared to be friends with. I passed a werewolf in the woods who informed me of the location of his home.
It turned out that Brett lived in a cave at the base of the same mountain I’d met Matteo at the other night. Mossy rocks surrounded the cave’s damp entrance.
“Brett?” I called, my voice echoing off the walls.
A loud snore emanated from the back of the cave. I took the liberty of climbing through the entrance and saw the ogre lying in a heap on top of a bed of straw.
“Brett,” I repeated.
He continued to snore louder than ever.
I nudged his back with my foot. When he still didn’t budge, I grabbed his shoulders and rolled him over.
“Wh-what?” he spluttered, rubbing sticky eyes.
“I… I’m sorry to wake you,” I said. “But I have a question.”
He sat up, frowning, his yellow eyes still bleary. “Who are you?”
“Kiev. “
When he still looked at me with a blank expression, I said impatiently, “I met you the other night, remember? You came to my room.”
“Ah, yeah. Remember now,” he mumbled, leaning his wide back against the damp wall of the cave. “What do you want?”
“You’re Mona’s friend, right?”
“Mona? Erm… I wouldn’t go so far as to say she’s my friend.” He paused for a deep yawn. “I’d like to consider her that, for sure. But she probably thinks of me more as her well-wisher than friend—”
“All right,” I said, cutting through his rambling. “I’m sure you can still answer my question. When does Mona visit the mainland?”
“Once a day, usually. To visit the well.”
“What time?”
“Erm… in the evening.”
“And where is this well?”
“It’s near the foot of the hill I took you to. Walk around that area and you’ll find it soon enough.”
“Okay.” I left his side and retreated out of the cave. But before heading off, I remembered to turn back and say, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” he grunted and slumped back down on the straw.
***
Early the next evening, I made sure to be near the well. I crouched down in the shadows of the trees surrounding it and waited. Brett had been right. Soon after sunset, I spo
tted the witch approaching, a wooden bucket in one arm.
As soon as she reached the well and lowered her vessel, I crept out from my hiding place. A twig snapped beneath my feet as I neared her. She whirled around and let out a small scream when she caught sight of me through the darkness.
“You!”
“Yes.” I approached the well and leaned against it, trying to act casually.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s a pleasant night.”
“What is this stupid game you’re playing?” She paused, her blue eyes darkening. “Did Saira put you up to this?”
My throat went dry. Every part of me wanted to say yes.
But I couldn’t.
“No.”
“Then why are you stalking me? Is your life really so pathetic?”
“No,” I said, my voice rising. “If you’d have just spoken to me the other night I wouldn’t have had to do this.” I paused, breathing in deeply to reel myself in and prepare my ego for what I knew I had to say next. “I just wanted to say… I’m sorry.”
“Oh?” She cocked her head to one side. “For what?”
She wasn’t trying to make this easy for me.
“For my behavior,” I muttered. “Both on the ship, and also back in the prison at Aviary… And also for breaking your table.”
I watched her face for a reaction. For any sign of forgiveness. For any sign of that frown softening. She kept a poker face as she met my eyes.
“That’s it?” she asked.
“Yes, and I… uh… want to make it up to you. We got off to the wrong start—”
“Well, your apology is enough,” she said, cutting through me. “I don’t require anything more from you.”
She heaved her bucket out of the well and turned to walk away. I followed her and grabbed the vessel from her arms before she could refuse.
“I’ll carry this for you. Just to your boat.”
She grabbed it back, at least a quarter of the water in the small bucket splashing out onto the grass.
“No, I don’t need your help,” she said, her cheeks flushing red.
“Look, you just dropped a load. Let me refill it—” I reached to grab the bucket again.
“No!” She swerved away, glaring daggers at me. “What is it with you? I told you, your apology is enough. You can leave me alone now.”
But is it enough?
What will your answer be the next time Saira asks the question?
Chapter 24: Mona
Her heart beat faster as he touched her cheek. But she avoided his eyes. Their intensity scared her. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to hold his gaze. Strong arms wrapped around her, and then a gentle finger beneath her chin pushed her head upward. She now had no choice but to face her fears. Her body responded to his embrace, even while her mind repelled it.
She’d fantasized about this moment for longer than she could remember, so she wondered why she was feeling apprehensive. Every movement of his body against hers sent chills running through her. She was attempting to focus her attention on anything other than what she supposedly desired most deeply.
I frowned at the parchment in front of me. I hadn’t been able to sleep, so instead had decided to retrieve my story from the cupboard and sit down at my desk. The yellowing of the parchment betrayed how long I’d been toiling over it. I’d lost count of how many years had passed since I’d started it.
The words just dried up whenever I reached scenes like this.
The scene was technically accurate, at least according to my observations.
But I wasn’t feeling it.
I wasn’t living it.
I wasn’t living my characters’ passion like I lived their pain.
A feeling of emptiness settled in my stomach as familiar doubts assailed my mind.
Perhaps I’ll never be able to finish this story.
Perhaps I’ll never be able to give my beloved characters, Irina and Adrian, the love they’ve craved and fought for in all the previous chapters.
I pushed my chair away from my desk and stepped out onto the balcony, taking deep breaths, fighting to calm my nerves. But the emptiness continued to tear through my stomach, reaching its thorny hand up into my throat.
I gripped the railing, closing my eyes.
Stop thinking.
Just be silent.
Just be… numb.
Numbness. That word again. That word that had terrified Kiev so much that he was willing to suffer rather than experience it.
Numbness was what I craved.
It was the rope I used to climb out of the black hole I’d otherwise be trapped in.
Numbness was my savior, not my fear.
Chapter 25: Kiev
I never had been the kind of man to do things half-heartedly. If I bothered with something, I would damn well figure out a way to win at it.
I had more work to do.
I might have been out of touch with my social skills, but I didn’t need to be a genius to understand that Mona still didn’t consider me a friend.
And I didn’t want to get Saira to ask her the question until I was confident that Mona would respond positively. I didn’t know if the erratic wolf would give me another chance if the witch gave the wrong answer. I had to tread carefully, because I had no idea if Matteo would stand up for me if the wolf ordered me off the island. I certainly couldn’t expect him to, and I wasn’t in a position to risk finding out.
Now that I had gotten my apology to Mona off of my chest, at least that felt like some progress. My next step seemed obvious to me.
The following evening, I paid another visit to Brett. To my relief, I didn’t have to waste minutes waking him up this time. I arrived to see him sitting at the entrance of his cave munching on a hunk of meat.
“You again?” he said, looking up from his meal.
“I’d like to know who does the carpentry on this island.”
Brett’s round face split into a proud grin, his teeth stained with grease. “That’d be me.”
“Ah, good. I expected as much.” I said. “You see, I’m in need of a small table.”
“Oh? How small?”
I indicated the approximate dimensions with my hands.
“What for?” he asked.
“For… Mona, actually,” I said.
Brett’s grin widened.
“Got feels for her, have you?” he chortled, winking at me while wiping fat off one of his tusks.
“No… No. I-I just broke her table accidentally. I owe her a new one.”
“Well, if it’s just a simple four-legged table,” he said, chewing thoughtfully, “I could have that ready for you in a few hours. I’m still on break. Haven’t got much else to do before my round starts again, other than finish eating this beauty.” He waved his meat in the air.
“I appreciate it.” I was about to hold out my hand to shake his, but had second thoughts when I saw how filthy it was. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“In case you’re late returning, I’ll just leave it for you in there,” he said, gesturing toward his cave.
I left him in peace to finish his meal.
My next stop was the beach. Remembering the shell Giles had tried to gift Mona, I reasoned that perhaps he’d done that because he knew she liked them. When I reached the wall, I located the nearest exit to me. A vampire on guard duty sat next to it.
He looked up at me questioningly as I approached.
“I should be back in less than an hour.”
The vampire nodded and let me out.
“Just be careful,” he called after me. “It’s never a good idea to stay outside these walls for long.”
It was a calm night. A breeze caught my hair as I made my way toward the dark waves lapping against the shore. There was not a single cloud in the sky to dull the shining moon. The air had a purity to it that I’d never experienced anywhere back in the human realm.
I walked barefoot along the beach, scouring the
sand for shells. While I collected some, I found so many objects of far greater beauty.
What a fool Giles was for bringing Mona a shell, when if he’d just strayed a little further, he could have brought her pearls.
Before I knew it, my pockets were filled with precious stones of all colors, shapes and sizes. Other than what was obviously a giant pearl, most of them I couldn’t even put a name to. I lost all track of time. I must have walked for miles, enticed further and further away from the wall by the treasures I kept finding. It seemed like the further I strayed, the more gorgeous the jewels became.
I was brought to my senses only when I looked up at the sky and noticed its color beginning to warm. I’d been out all night. I cast my eyes back toward the direction of the gate I had exited and gauged the amount of time it would take me to get back there if I ran at full speed. Ten minutes, at most.
I still had time to bathe in the sea before I returned. I took off my clothes and placed them on the sand, careful not to let any stones fall out of my pockets. I waded into the cool sea until the water was up to my waist before diving in. I swam faster and deeper, enjoying the full stretch of my limbs.
Something smooth brushed against my foot. A dolphin surfaced in the water next to me. It was Kai. I’d spent enough time with him during my journey with Mona to recognize his features.
The dolphin nuzzled his thick nose against my chest. I wasn’t sure how to react. My first instinct was to push him away. But instead I brushed my hand along his back, the way I’d see Mona do. He stayed still in the water, relishing my touch. As soon as I stopped, he nuzzled me again.
If only the witch were so easily befriended.
Leaving the dolphin, I swam back to the beach and pulled on my clothes. As I was about to head off toward the wall, I heard an odd noise coming from behind me. The sound of someone choking. I turned round to see a young woman crawling out of the ocean about twenty feet away. Her clothes were tattered, her hair a matted mess. Cuts covered her body and face.
“H-help,” she croaked. “Ogres… escape…I… need… water…”
Her words barely registered in my head. All my mind could focus on was the blood that had begun to drip from her wounds now that she was out of the water. I walked closer, breathing in her scent. Human blood. My stomach flipped. I could barely remember the last time I’d feasted on a human.