A Dark Night (Book One of The Grandor Descendant series) (13 page)

Ari leaned in further, betraying her eagerness.

“But you guys were surprised when you found out that Ragon hadn’t lulled me,” said Ari, “and that he had asked you here to protect me.”

Slowly Sandra nodded and said, “It’s not that vamps are incapable of feeling anything for humans, it’s just… just that it is a strange situation. Most of the time the human gets turned, so there is no need to protect them.”

“But Ragon doesn’t want to turn me,” said Ari.

It wasn’t a question
; it was a statement. She asked it even though she already knew the answer; no, Ragon didn’t want to turn her. He had no intention of that. That’s why he had asked all of his friends to come to Australia, to protect her; the question was why.

“But if it is so unusual, then why is Ragon doing it?” said Ari.

Sandra
looked at Ari curiously and then said, “Perhaps you should ask him that.”

Ari frowned; she had already tried that. Thinking instead about her original question, Ari asked,
“So where do you get the blood from?”

As soon as she said this,
Ari realised how stupid she must have sounded.

“From people of course; some we kill and others we just feed from.
Like I said, the vamps in this house lead a relatively murder-free life; we just disassociate ourselves from mortals after we have gotten what we need from them. But the majority of vamps aren’t like us. Most of the time, vamps just like killing. The older you get, the less you see people and the more you see cattle, no offense.”

“What about the sunlight? Ragon almost died when he was only out there for a few minutes.
”

Sandra shivered slightly, replying, “Yeah
, vamps don’t like the sun; we don’t tan well.” She inspected her own milky, white skin before adding, “Only vamps that have had enough go into the sun to play.”

“Had enough; how could you have enough of
being beautiful, strong, fast and whatever else you guys can do?”

“You would be surprised just how long forever can last,”
said Sandra, and Ari thought she saw something sad behind her new friend’s eyes.

Ari had gone back to sleep after her brief conversation with Sandra. All thoughts of having a shower had vanished, and she allowed the ibuprofen to wisp her into a peaceful slumber. It was dark when she finally emerged from her room and heard laughter coming from the veranda.

“So who is up for another round of
Sources
?” Clyde asked playfully, his eyes lighting up when they fell on Ari.

Sandra glared at Clyde and Thomas raised his eyebrows
, but Clyde ignored the two and said, “Just a suggestion.”

Ari couldn’t help
but notice that Cambridge and Larissa were sitting next to each other and holding hands, acting in the same lovesick way they had done when first they arrived. She guessed by the way that they were talking animatedly, that they had sorted out their differences.

“I’m bored,”
said B1, looking over at Clyde lustfully.

Clyde ignored her and stood from his chair to offer it to Ari. Unable to stop herself, Ari glanced behind her shoulder at Ragon, but saw that he was looking elsewhere and so
quickly sat down.

“
So… tell me about yourself,” said Clyde, keeping his voice low so as to invoke a private conversation between Ari and himself.

Pushing her hair behind her ears, Ari said, “Well there isn’t much to tell.”

“Come now, you must be somewhat interesting to have captured dear Ragon’s attentions,” Clyde stated, inclining his head slightly at Ragon who was sulking. “It’s not every day a vamp is put on human protection duty.”

Ari ignored the snipe but said, “Well I am, err
…
was
, studying veterinary science at university, and I…” but her voice trailed off.

She had just heard something on the television that caught her attention. Without pausing to explain herself,
Ari pushed past Clyde and moved into the living room, quickly fumbling for the remote to turn the volume of the television up, so as to listen to a news report.

“
Fire fighters rushed to the historic building a little over an hour ago, but were unable to save it. Behind me is all that’s left of the Grace Valley Orphanage. First commissioned in the early 1900’s, this historical building has played home for thousands of children who would have otherwise been stranded-” 

“Do you have a boyfriend?”
asked Clyde, having followed Ari into the living room.

“No,”
Ari replied a little too quickly, her mind entirely preoccupied by the news report.

“Really?”
said Clyde, whistling low under his breath. “Just haven’t met the right guy? What exactly would the right type of guy be?”

“Not the nosey, womanising, vampire type-of-guy,” Sandra interjected loudly
, having also moved inside.

“Guess that means Ragon’s out,”
Clyde muttered under his breath.

Ari
had ignored the pairs bickering; she was still too consumed by the news report.

“Ari?”
said Sandra, waving a manicured hand in front of her face.

Ari blinked and sat down on the couch, a numb look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” asked Clyde, an unusually sincere trace of concern in his voice.

Sandra stared at Clyde in surprise
, before redirecting her attention back to Ari. Ari said nothing for a minute, then finally reached for the remote and turned the television off.

“It’s…” she stammered
, “It’s just that… I grew up in the Grace Valley Orphanage.”

Clyde moved to sit by her
, but Sandra said, “Can’t you see she’s upset? She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

In the back of her mind, Ari heard Sandra growling a
t Clyde, but the noise was dull and inconsequential, and it wasn’t until Ragon moved towards her that Ari became aware of her surroundings again.

“What is it?” h
e asked, gently reaching a hand out to brush against her knee.

Ari
stared down where Ragon had touched her. It had only been for a fraction of a second, but the gesture was not lost to her. Instantly she wished that she was alone with him. In that moment she felt as if she could trust him, and she was suddenly desperate to share her whole story with him, not the mumbling abridged version she had told him this morning. Ari had never known what happened to her parents, or even who they were. When she was a baby she had been dumped on the doorstep of the Grace Valley Orphanage, with only a note saying that someone had found her abandoned.

She may not have had the fondest memories at
the orphanage, but whenever a foster family returned her or she was hoping to be adopted, she was able to call it home. The fact that the one constant thing in Ariana’s life was no more was devastating. In a way she felt as if a small piece of her had been taken away, burnt to ashes in the fire that had claimed her childhood home.

“Are you ok,”
whispered Ragon.

Ari locked eyes with him; trapped in the green of his irises, everything around her faded, so that it felt as if they were the only ones in the room.
Instantly Ari was reminded of just how handsome Ragon was, and that he had rescued her, bought her a house and promised to look after her. With these thoughts the loss of her childhood home didn’t feel so great. Then Ari heard banging on the front door and Ragon’s eyes shifted away from hers.

Moving over to the door, Ragon bawled his fists. There was a murderous look in his eyes and he glanced around the room, as if uncertain if he should open the door or not.

“Mortal,”
growled Clyde, as if answer to Ragon’s worrying look.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Cambridge’s deep voice asked
, as he moved into the living room to join the others.

“Yeah
, I ordered pizza,” Clyde said sarcastically.

Ragon rolled his eyes.

“I think seven vampires can take on one mortal,” said Larissa, glancing determinedly at the door.

“It could be a trap. Maybe Kiara and Matthew have planned something?”
said Thomas.

Ragon’s eyes were ablaze whe
n he swung the door open.

“Sorry for the late night call,”
said a young pimply boy, “it was part of the delivery request.”

The boy
looked around at the tense faces that stared at him and then handed over a thick envelope.

“Gotta sign,” he added
, handing Ragon a pen and clipboard

Ragon did
not reply, simply took the hand written envelope from the boy and closed the door after he had signed for it. When he finally looked down at the letter clutched in his hands, his eyes widened. With shaking hands he tore open the letter.

“Shit!” h
e said, before reading the letter out loud:

“Ragon, Sandra & Thomas, Cambridge & Larissa, Clyde, Sameth

You are invited to Danton Castle

31
st
of October for Halloween festivities

Costumes required

Drinks provided though you are welcome to BYO

7pm

Yours eternally,

William & Nicholas”

“Oh Jesus,” said Sandra, and Ari noticed that the rest of the faces in the room held anxious and nervous expressions.

After that Ragon walked through the house, finally reaching the door at the end of the hallway that was hidden under the steps. Ari recognised it as the room she had been forbidden to enter. She thought it strange that she had forgotten about this room and her desires to find out what was inside, and watched as Ragon pushed hard against the hidden door. He faltered in the frame of the door and then turned around, staring at her.

“Ari,”
said Ragon, “I need to talk to the coven… alone.”

At these words Ari’s eyes
fell. Had she heard him correctly? Why did he want to talk to the coven alone? Was this about the letter or did Ragon not want her to go inside the forbidden room? And who had sent the letter and why were Ragon and rest of the coven so nervous about it? Wasn’t it just an invitation to a Halloween Party?

These questions swarmed in Ari’s m
ind; she was just about to ask why she couldn’t go inside, when Ragon shook his head and moved past her. Ari wanted to scream at him, but she just stared numbly as each of the coven members passed her in the hallway and entered the room.

“Why don’t
you join Ari?” said Clyde, indicating B1 and B2. “Make yourselves a drink.”

Bo
th girls shrugged indifferently.

“Make one for me too,” Clyde yelled after them
, not looking at Ari.

“Want a cocktail,” asked B1, turning to stare at B2 and Ari when it was just the three girls left in the hallway.

Ari
looked at both girls incredulously; they really were on a whole different level, or perhaps Clyde had just lulled the brains out of them, that or they were born without brains. But Ari had not given up; thinking hard she nodded, and watched as the two girls danced down the corridor. When she could no longer hear their heels clicking against the wooden floor boards, she pressed an ear against the hidden door.

“Read much?” asked Sameth, and Ari was pleased that she could hear
what the coven were saying.

“My collection has grown since last you sa
w me,” Ragon replied, and Ari guessed that they must be in a library of sorts.

“I was wo
ndering where all your sketches were,” said Sandra.

Ari closed her eyes and imagined
the room beyond, seeing the pictures that Ragon had spent so many hours in the library sketching. In that moment there was nothing more that she wanted than to be on the other side of the door.

“
How can the Elders know we have formed a coven?” asked Sameth, his voice betraying feelings of insecurity.

There was a long pause and Ari pressed her ear even closer to the door, hoping not to miss anything.

“When I asked you all here to form this coven, I had no intention of bringing danger to you, beyond that which Kiara might offer. I will show no animosity if you choose to leave now?” said Ragon.

“Leave now?”
asked Clyde, his voice undignified. “When it is just starting to get good?”

“I didn’t expect to be called up
on by William and Nicholas,” said Larissa. “But I have come to know Ari and I will stand by you both.”

“As will we,”
said Sandra.

“There is a chance that the Elders know
nothing at all about the feud with Kiara. I mean this is Nicholas and William; they are more interested in parties than anything else,” Cambridge said hopefully. “This might simply be an invitation to another one of their elaborate gatherings.”