A Dark Night (Book One of The Grandor Descendant series) (23 page)

Ari had listened to Larissa and Cambridge’s fairy tale intently, comparing it with her own three hundred year later version. Still a few questions remained.

“But the first night I met Clyde, after we had played Sources, Ragon told me that you and Clyde had a fling?”
she said, staring at Larissa.

For a
few moments Ari thought that Larissa would not answer, and she instantly became worried that she had stretched their friendship too thin, too quickly.

“There was a time, shortly after I made Cambridge that we separated. It’s easy for fledglings to lose their way, and become interested in nothing except blood and the hunt. For a few months he went off on his own, killed a hell of a lot of people, and tried the solitary life. Being his maker, I could sense him the whole time, and I waited for him. What I had with Cly
de was nothing more than a one night stand. I was lonely, he was bored- end of story.”

“What Larissa means,”
said Sandra sweetly, “is that it’s not uncommon for newly turned fledglings to be an entity entirely of their own; vampirism changes you, and not just in the obvious way. Everyone adapts to it differently; some become blood hunters, others mass murders, but rarely are they the same person they were before they were turned.” 

“Do you think you and Cambridge would have stayed together if he decided he didn’t want to become a vampire?”
asked Ari.

Larissa frowned for a moment
, and Ari knew what she was thinking. A mortal and a vampire couldn’t be together. It was impractical. In twenty years’ time, Ari would be forty-four, and Ragon would be as handsome and perfect as ever. For a few years she could get away being a cougar, but what about when she was seventy or eighty or older; that’s if she even lived that long with Kiara trying to kill her. But was that her answer? If she didn’t want to become a vampire, could they really not be together? Ari shuddered at the thought. Only hours ago she had been in utter heaven in his arms, and now all she could think was Ragon not being there when she had been attacked, and how they must be apart. Perhaps being a vampire wouldn’t be so bad? It would defiantly suck not being able to go into the sun for the rest of her life, and it might take her a while to get use to the whole drinking blood thing, but look at Larissa and Sandra. Apart from being over two hundred years old, they seemed to be normal- or at least normal enough. They were certainly able to sit here and have a conversation with a human. But did she want to be with Ragon enough to give up her life? And what if the vampirism didn’t work? What if she died?

“If you had the choice again
, would you decide to become a vampire?” Ari asked both girls.

This was the question she needed answer
ing the most. Even though right now all she felt was pain, she still couldn’t help but feel a true connection with Ragon. Still, it seemed crazy for Ari to start a relationship with someone that she ultimately couldn’t be with. But perhaps, if love were enough, she would give up everything to be with him.   

Sandra spoke first, ‘In a heartbeat,” she said, before adding with a small laugh
, “or rather without one.”

Both Ari and Sandra turned to Larissa, who shook her head, saying, “I don’t know...”

Sandra’s jaw dropped. 

“What?”
Sandra asked, in a high pitched voice.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t want to be with Cambridge, but I think I would have wanted to have one lifetime with him, and…” she paused, chewing her bottom lip, as her eyes went glassy, “and gotten to have children and be a mother.”

Shit, Ari thought to herself. Was she so completely thick? Until now she did not realise what becoming a vampire meant for women especially, no children- forever. Ari had thought that the worst part would have been watching all the people you loved die, but she supposed that after a while, those wounds might close; but what about all the people you never got to know? The children and the grandchildren you never got to have? 

Ari had lots to consider when Larissa and Sandra finally left her room. Ragon had not come to see her yet, and to be honest, after the conversation with Larissa and Sandra, she wasn’t too sure she knew what she would have done if he had. Crawling under the covers, Ari thought about Larissa’s story and what she should do with her own. She was just about drifting off to sleep when there was once again a soft knock on the door. For a moment Ari considered pretending she was asleep, and that she hadn’t heard.

“Come in,” she whispered.

Trying to sit up slightly, Ari waited for the door to open. She had guessed that it would be Ragon, and was utterly surprised to see Clyde.

Instantly a wide small broke across her face, and she laid back against the pillow, instantly at ease.

“How’s the patient?” he asked, moving over to the edge of her bed and sitting down.

“Better,” she lied.

She could tell by the sideway glance that Clyde shot at her, that he didn’t believe her in the slightest. Instead of confronting her about this however, he immediately looked down at his feet, before inspecting the bed sheets, apparently greatly interested in the pattern printed on them.

“You can’t bl
ame Ragon for Matthew’s actions,” he said suddenly.

Ari was so utte
rly shocked by these words, that she felt her mouth drop open in surprise.

“Do you have any idea just how much he cares about you?”
asked Clyde.

Ar
i shook her head.

“The moment he heard what Matthew had done, he went out into the sun to try and make the pain stop,”
said Clyde, not breaking eye contact.

Ari couldn’t help it, but let a few tears fall from her eyes.
She had heard Ragon go outside after seeing her last night and heard him scream, but had no idea why.

“Sometimes when you’re immortal, you forget how precious life is. Ragon has not had
to worry about death for over two-hundred years. And when you spend that long killing and losing your humanity, it’s hard to go back. It’s not easy falling in love with a mortal when you’re a monster, but sometimes it happens; you can’t choose who you love. You need to give him a chance… he’s trying his best.”

Ari stared
at him as he left her room. At Clyde’s words, she was unravelled. Ari had only known Ragon for a short time. It would be crazy for her to think that she loved him already; wouldn’t it? Still, she couldn’t help but remember the look in his eyes when he had reached for her, saying that he wanted her. How was she supposed to ignore how her heart had jumped at that moment? These thoughts were put on hold however, when she heard shouting outside her room. She remained quiet; listening carefully, desperate to know what was being said.

“You just couldn’t help yourself
, could you?” said Sandra. “You’re supposed to be his friend, and the second his girl is having doubts, you’re riding in on your horse to rescue her. Well I have got news for you Clyde; Ragon is twice the vamp you will ever be, and Ari knows that.”

There was a long pause, during which Ari contemplated going out and telling Sandra what Clyde had said to her, but then Sandra spoke again, and Ari remained frozen.

“There you go. You see, you don’t care about anything or anyone but yourself. Why Ragon is friends with you in the first place, I will never know,” said Sandra.

“Can’t te
ach an old vamp, new tricks,” said Clyde.

Ari’s mouth was open. Why wouldn’t Clyde defend himself? He could have told Sandra what he had said to her, and then she would have realised that he was only trying to help. Looking around her room in frustration, Ari waited until she was sure that Clyde and Sa
ndra were no longer arguing and then moved from her bed. She needed to talk to Ragon.

When she left her room, she didn’t pause to see who was up, but stormed towards Ragon’s room, throwing his door open without so much as knocking first.

“So it’s true?” she asked.

Ragon was sitting on his bed, looking off into the distance, but looked up quickly when Ari had burst in on him. He was shirtless, and his normally flawless skin was pink and raw, as if it were slowly healing. When Ragon spoke, his sad eyes fell on Ari’s broken face.

“God Ari, I’m so sorry,”
he said, trying to sit up right.

“You can’t blame yourself every time I get hurt,”
cried Ari.

She had hoped like hell that she wouldn’t break down, but as soon as Ragon had apologised, she had lost what l
ittle self-control she still possessed and salty tears spilled from her eyes and burned her nose.

“I can’t blame myself?
” asked Ragon, his voice high and angry. “Ari I might as well have been the person who hit you. It’s my fault,” he said.

“You left because you were trying to protect me,”
said Ari.

“Yea, protect you from myself!”
roared Ragon, “Which I wouldn’t have to do if I weren’t a monster!”

Ari was a little taken aback at Ragon’s outburst, and sat down on the
floor in shock.

“I can’t stand it when you say stuff like that. Everything you have done has been to keep me safe
.” 

“Please Ari,”
said Ragon, forcing himself from his bed and into the middle of the room. Slowly he lowered himself, so that he was also sitting on the floor, and reached out a shaking hand to touch her face. “It kills me to see you like this. Don’t try to make me feel better; I know I deserve for you to hate me.”

Ari scoffed loudly
and pushed Ragon away.

“How am I supposed to let you hate me? Don’t y
ou get it? I am falling for you,” she said, letting her hand join his where it cupped her face.

For one shining moment Ragon’s eyes widened
hopefully, but then they hardened, and he pulled his hand away and pressed it hard against his side. Ari watched the gesture in horror, and reached a trembling hand out for him to hold. Ragon looked down but then shaking his head, raced from his room, slamming the door hard as he left. From the centre of the room, Ari stared dumbly at the door. For a few moments she was stunned, and then the tears which had begun to fall earlier, slipped faster and faster, until she burst out crying. Without thinking she raced from Ragon’s room and back to her own. Hurriedly she locked the door and moved into the bathroom, turning the shower on before slipping her clothes off and moving under the warm water. At first touch the water stung her skin, but soon her sobbing overcame all sensation of pain, and she moved so that she was sitting on the tiled floor of the shower, with her chin rested on her knees.

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the shower. By the time she was turning the taps off, all her tears had run out, and her fingers and toes were wrinkled. It took her a lot longer than normal to dry herself. The towel felt like a razor blade on her throat and face, and so she had to dab it slowly against the bruises, trying to get it to soak up the water that clutched to her skin. When finally the fog in the bathroom had abated, she stared at her reflection in the mirror and almost broke down again. This was the first time that she had seen how badly Matthew had beaten her, rather than just looking at the reflection of horror in everyone’s eyes when they saw her. No wonder she felt so shit; she looked like a human punching bag. Determined not to think about Ragon or how he had rejected her, Ari moved back over to the bed and took another couple of ibuprofen tablets. She was desperate to pass out and leave the troubles of her waking hours behind her.

Chapter 1
4- The Halloween Party

The night of Wednesday the 31
st
of October was a cold one. A southerly wind had swept a storm from the coastline, bringing with it rain and lightning. As if in welcome of Halloween, the moon was full and round, casting an eerie yellow glow over the city that was only punctuated by occasional thick grey storm clouds. Even the habitual night-time wildlife surrounding the area had quietened; the normally screeching bats, who swept over the city at sun down like a black veil, had chosen to rest early, so as to wait out the storm.

Ari woke
late, creeping quickly from her bedroom and returning later with some cereal and milk.

“Yuck,” she said
, spitting out her mouthful of cornflakes and milk which splattered the bed sheets.

Her hands pulled the bowl of cereal so
that it was just under her nose and she breathed in deeply then frowned- off milk. Pushing the cereal away, she got up, stripped the bed and moved into the bathroom.

Pausing to glance at her reflection, Ari smiled
. Today was the first day that she could no longer see the marks left from Matthew’s attack. It had taken a few days for the swelling in her throat and cheeks to go down, and almost a full week before the bruises had turned a brownish yellow colour. This morning when she looked at herself, she was glad that her face no longer showed any sign of trauma. Still, the real pain she felt had nothing to do with the aftermath of Matthew’s attack, and everything to do with Ragon’s rejection.

For a moment Ari considered remaining in her pyjamas for the day. Ragon had told her plainly that she was not going to the Halloween party and that she would stay at home with Patrick
, while the others investigated whether Kiara knew that Matthew’s demise had been brought on by the coven. Ari did not object in the slightest to this; ever since their screaming match, Ari had been too embarrassed and hurt to talk to Ragon. She had confessed her feelings for him and he had not returned them. Going to a Halloween party with Ragon was the very last thing on her mind. Still, the eerie tension that had plagued the coven since Matthew’s attack did not sit well with Ari. There had been so many questions that the coven had been faced with. Would Kiara tell the Elders that the coven had broken their laws? Would the coven be punished at the Halloween party? Did Kiara even know that Matthew was dead?

“Ragon,” Sandra called from the living room.

For a moment Ari blinked
and her reflection blinked back. It was uncharacteristic of Sandra to shout so loudly; especially with so many immortals in the house. Unable to fight her curiosity, Ari wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body and moved from the bathroom. Slowly she prised the door to her bedroom open just a crack and listened carefully.

“Well what the hell does that mean?”
asked Sandra.

Ari watched as Sandra handed something to Ragon.

“You know what it means,” Ragon growled, thrusting the object back into Sandra’s arms, as he began to pace the room.

“She can’t be left her
e with only Patrick,” said Clyde.

“
You’re not suggesting… but we can’t take her with us,” Sameth protested, looking imploringly at Ragon. “I thought we decided.”

“
Seven protecting her is better than one,” Thomas said, turning to stare at Sameth.

“
But… but, we can’t be sure Kiara will attack tonight,” Sameth argued.

“We can’t risk it,”
said Clyde, moving over to Sameth and staring in disbelief at him.

Forgetting that she was wearing only a towel, Ari pushed past her door and walked casually to where the others were standing.

“Did I miss something?”
she asked, turning to stare at everyone, her hands on her hips.

Instantly Sandra looked guilt
y. Ragon, whose eyes had widened initially when he saw her, shook his head and said, “Change of plans; you’re coming tonight.”

Ari watched as Ragon
stormed off towards his room, not bothering to look back.

This was how it had been since
their date, if you could call it that. Temporarily forgetting herself, Ari stared after him, feeling the sting of his rejection all over again, while trying to ignore the look on Clyde’s face. It felt like a horrible tease, that one moment they had been so passionate, and the next, he couldn’t even look at her.

As soon as
Ragon disappeared down the hallway, Ari turned to Sandra, who tried half-heartedly to hide something behind her back, but Ari moved over to her and said, “What’s going on?” and when Sandra looked confused, Ari added, “I know you’re hiding something.”

Sandra
hung her head but said, “This arrived a few minutes ago.”

Ari
took the small white box that Sandra handed her and after a moment of indecision, she opened it, but quickly dropped it as she clasped her hands over her mouth. The remnants of the expired milk from her breakfast was making its way back up her stomach and she gaged, before racing out the front door, knowing that she would not make it back to her bathroom. Leaning over the edge of the driveway, Ari opened her mouth and heaved up a few retched mouthfuls of bile.

“Are you ok honey?”
asked Sandra, rushing out the house after her.

Ari held up a finger as she remained bent over, breathing heavily.

“Can I get you something?” Sandra added, seemingly uncertain of what to do, as she fluttered around Ari looking concerned.

“What the hell was… why would someone… who sent that to me?” Ari asked, regaining her breath and standing up straight, a few shades lighter in the face as she adjusted her towel.

Sandra looked down at her feet but said, “It’s from Kiara. We think she’s realised that Matthew is dead.”

“What
was it?” she asked, trying to push the smell of rotten flesh from her mind.

“A heart,”
said Sandra.

Ari coughed loudly before bending back over and heaving again. For a few more minutes she continued to dry retch, as she pushed away all thoughts of the red fleshy heart that
was sitting in a box addressed to her.

“Was it human or animal?”
asked Ari, turning once again to stare up at Sandra.

Sandra did
not answer but looked back at the house and said, “Come on. The Elder’s party starts in an hour or so; we’ve got to get ready.”

“But Ragon wants me to go?”
asked Ari, “Because Kiara sent me a heart?”

“More like he hasn’t got any other choice,” said Sandra. “Kiara is obviously out for blood. We can’
t run, that might make Kiara tell the Elders and we can’t leave you here, then you would be a sitting duck.

“But Matthew is dead
; couldn’t I just stay here?” asked Ari.

Two weeks ago Ari would have been thrilled to find out that Ragon wanted her to go to the Halloween party
but now, what with everything that had happened between them, she just wanted to crawl up in a ball.   

“But what if Kiara has already told the
Elders?” asked Ari. “Then you will be walking into a trap.”

Sandra looked down at Ari
and said, “We haven’t got any other choice.”

Still wearing her towel, Ari followed Sandra back inside and moved into her room. She allowed herself only a moment to compose herself, before retrieving the plastic protective bag that held the Halloween costume Ragon had purchased all those weeks before. Slowly she pulled down the long zipper and a long flowing black dress was revealed. It took her only a moment to slide the dress on and attach the two large feathered wings. The last thing in the bag was a small diamante head piece, whose jewelled framework was a mixture of pearls and clear crystal, which she spent a moment pinning to her hair, so that it hung majestically along her forehead. When she was finally done she took one quick glance in the mirror; she looked just like an angel- a dark angel.

A small knock at her door made her move over and push it open. She was entirely surprised to see Ragon waiting for her.

He said nothing but his mouth fell open as he gaped at her. Ari, who was just as surprised as him, blinked furiously at him, confused. The silence was deafening, and Ari felt her face flush.

“If we don’t leave now we are going to
be-,” Clyde said from the hallway.

A loud thud made Ari look around and she heard Clyde yell out,
just as Sandra and Larissa appeared behind him.

“Oh Ari
,” said Larissa, “you look absolutely delightful.”

“Angelic,” Clyde corrected and Ragon growled
, though did not comment.

“Make sure you take lots of photos,”
said Patrick, waving as the group gathered at the front door.

Ari looked around at the
seven coven members, dressed in their Halloween costumes. Though the evening was supposed to be a festivity, it was clear from the sombre looks on everyone’s faces that no one was in the mood to celebrate. The fact that Cambridge and Thomas could be punished for killing Matthew and breaking a Final Death Law was most definitely the cause for the macabre mood. Only one thing kept the coven hopeful: Kiara could not possibly have a shred of evidence exposing them. Then again, Ari thought, what about Ragon. Kiara knew full well that he had not commanded Ari.

“Oh darling, I am sorry you can’t come,”
Sandra said to Patrick. “You know I would swap in a heartbeat.”

“I know! I even bought my zombie sailor costume just in case,” he remarked grimy, indicating the blue and white stripped hat he wore.
“And you know how I feel about sailors!”

“
But why can’t you go?” asked Ari.

“Not invited,” said Patrick. “I arrived after the invite, and I wouldn’t dare go unless invited.”

“But what will you do?” she asked.

Patrick smiled wickedly and said
in a mysterious tone, “I think I might order in.”

The drive to William and Nikolas’s estate took about forty minutes, so that when they finally arrived there, they were fashionably late. Two large black gates creaked open when their cars pulled up; in the distance the unmistakeable booming bark of many dogs was audible. At the end of the driveway was an enormous house with many large windows that glowed warm, flooded with light. Ari thought the house must be heritage listed, what with the spectacular white washed sandstone that lined the mansion and the majestic columns that supported it. Just in front of the house was a large cul-de-sac, where many cars were hurriedly dropping off guests, who then ascended the small incline of steps before reaching the main house.

When Ragon’s car pulled over,
a man in a black suit opened their doors saying, “Welcome.”

Ragon tossed hi
m the keys and he, Sameth and Ari waited for the rest of the coven to arrive in Clyde’s car.

The estate itself was beautiful. Small white fairy-lights highlighted what looked like a grape vineyard on either side of the front entrance, while growing up the sandstone columns were several jasmine bushes whose perfume permeated the night sky as they walked past. When Ragon’s coven approached, large french-doors were open in welcome and Ari saw many giant orange pumpkins dotted all over the entrance. They had been carved into eerie faces, with small tea light candles placed in the middle, which gave their shadows on the walls a macabre appearance.

As soon as the coven walked i
nside, it was apparent just how seriously the Elders took their parties. The entire foyer was themed for Halloween, with a giant cauldron in the centre of the room, from which white heavy fog boiled out of, dropping silently to the ground and coating the wooden floor boards. The ceiling, staircase banisters and tables were draped with thick cobwebs, and there were large open coffins strategically placed, fashioned into chairs and couches. Something swinging above caught Ari’s attention and she saw large iron cages hanging from the ceiling, suspended by thick chains. The cages contained people dressed in various Halloween costumes, dancing slow and rhythmically to the music.

“Trick
or treat,” a young man said, and Ari jumped in surprise.

The man who spoke was
young, no more than eighteen; he wore no shirt, only a long pair of black fitted pants, a black bowtie and an unbuttoned tails coat. In his hands was a serving tray, with many glass goblets containing thick red liquid. Ari spared these only a moment’s thought before her eyes danced to the boy’s body, where large bite marks gleamed. They were on his wrists, his neck, hell, everywhere a major artery was. The bites themselves however looked to be old wounds. They were pink around the edges, as if the healing process had already begun.

“Which vintage would you prefer?” the waiter asked.

Clyde walked up to him and twiddled his fingers, as if in contemplation, scanning over the various goblets.

“Othe
rwise, I’m on tap,” the waiter added smiling.