Revamped (16 page)

As I began to regain some strength, I suddenly noticed a large man looming above me. The menacing vampire brought his face toward mine, his deep black eyes blazing, his nostrils flaring. The skin on the right half of his face was completely burned off, exposing a bright, white skull. His misshapen mouth was forever twisted in a hostile smirk.

“So, girl,” he growled, his voice deep and raspy. “We finally meet.” His words came out clipped and strange-sounding, partly due to his deformity, but also because of his heavy accent. It was the type of thick, heavy accent I had often heard in parodies of ancient vampires.

He raised his right hand; his scarred fingers tightened around the handle of a large, jagged dagger. He pointed the weapon at my chest, chuckling madly as he brought the dagger toward me. Rolling over to the side, I managed to dodge the blade just before it reached me. Despite the successful maneuver, I felt slow. The blood capsule hadn’t been strong enough to combat the poison.; I was beginning to lose consciousness again.

The ominous man faded in and out of focus. Until, all of a sudden, he was right on top of me, taking another vicious stab with his knife. The blade grazed my arm, sending a stream of blood pouring to the surface of my skin. Gathering all my strength, I pushed myself off the ground, lunging towards my attacker. I groaned in pain as I delivered a sharp kick to his stomach. He stumbled backwards, the motion sending the knife flying out of his hand.

As I charged at him again, he reached into his coat pocked, pulling out a revolver and firing directly at me. The bullet—filled with vampire blood—embedded in my knee, shattering my bone and cartilage with a loud
crack
. I buckled under the sharp pain, giving the assailant a chance to shoot me again, this time in the chest. As the bullet connected with my heart, a searing ache spread throughout my entire body.

“Viktor, stop!” A familiar voice yelled as I collapsed, completely letting go of the world around me.

CHAPTER NINE

She lay sprawled out across the sun-soaked gazebo floor, the fabric of her long green dress arranged in perfect waves all around her. Her head rested in his lap and even though her eyes were closed, she could feel him watching her intently.

She kept her eyes shut, reaching up toward his familiar face and pressing her cool hand against his warm cheek. She gently ran her palm along his skin then, more roughly, wrapped her fingers around his long, dark curls. She tugged at his hair, drawing him down into a deep kiss. She giggled as they pulled apart, finally opening her green eyes to look deep into his bright gray ones.

He was perfect in every way. The kindest, richest, most handsome guy she had ever known was finally hers.

“You’re beautiful, Aurora,” he whispered, prompting another spell of tinkling laughter to ring through the gazebo.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” she said, smiling sweetly. She had heard those words before. Many times, from many people.

She rose slowly, straightening out her heavy garments, then bent down to kiss Sebastian’s cheek. Right before her lips touched his skin, she playfully pushed him away, dashing out onto the meadow by the gazebo. All the while, she continued to laugh, whirling around with her hands high up in the air. The heavy skirt of her dress levitated in a circle around her, exposing a flurry of bright crinoline. She continued to spin until the world dissolved into a blur, the sky above transforming into a mesmerizing blue-and-white frenzy. Finally, almost completely out of breath, she flung herself onto the grassy bank of the bubbling creek nearby.

She bent her head toward the cool, white water, marveling at the image reflecting back at her. Her bright emerald eyes and full red lips were framed by high cheekbones and porcelain skin. Her wavy chocolate-colored hair hung all the way down to her waist, blowing freely in the warm summer wind. She had always protested wearing it in the more fashionable style of pulled back ringlets, which, in her opinion, made women look too mature and quite plain.

There was no denying that Aurora was strikingly beautiful. She knew it, and she wanted everyone else to know it too. She was most proud of her newly-acquired curves, which she made certain to accentuate by the tight corsets of her richly-tailored garments. She enjoyed seeing a flicker or jealousy in other women’s eyes and relished in her ability to make men lust after her with a mere glance in their direction. All men except Sebastian, it seemed. It tormented Aurora that he was such a perfect gentleman, always treating her mind, body and soul with everlasting courteousness and moral reverence. If he hadn’t been so handsome, she may have already grown tired of him.

Too busy gazing at her reflection in the water, Aurora failed to notice Sebastian materialize behind her. He threw his long, muscular arms around her waist, gently pulling her into him. She shivered under his touch, astonished by the staggering effect his proximity had on her. The sound of his heartbeat engulfed her thoughts; she could almost feel the blood rushing through his veins. She pushed him away abruptly, all the while wanting nothing more than to taste him. It was becoming more and more difficult to restrain herself, to stop from sinking her sharp fangs into his body, completely draining him.
Revealing her secret.

Sebastian looked down at her. “Are you alright?” he asked gently.

Aurora smiled coyly, drawing in a sharp, steady breath. “Yes. I am fine.”
She was once again in control. She would
always
be in control.

She rested her head on Sebastian’s firm chest, fingering the vile of blood hanging around his neck. She had given him her blood as a precaution. In case she ever did lose control, all she had to do was break the capsule and force Sebastian to drink its contents. It would bind Sebastian to her, forever making him hers if she so chose. For now, it simply gave her great pleasure to share a little part of herself with him. Such a private, powerful part. Hoping that she could guard her secret and maintain things the way they were for a little longer, she never told Sebastian the real reason for the gift. Of course, he never questioned it. She loved that about him; he always had complete, unwavering trust in her.

“Aurora, I have something to ask you,” Sebastian said, suddenly anxious.

She sighed blissfully. “Hmm, let me guess. You would like to ask for a kiss?” Humans were so easy to read— the pounding hearts, dilated pupils, clammy, sweaty hands, short gasping breath.

“No. I mean, sure,” Sebastian said, smiling. “But there is more.” He reached into his black vest and produced a dazzling amethyst ring from his pocket. Bending down on one knee, he presented it to her.

“Will you—” he began, but Aurora cut him off excitedly.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful!”

The deep violet gemstone, carved in an intricate oval, was surrounded by sparking diamonds. It lay cushioned in the centre of a thick, white-gold band, engraved with unique, intertwining lines.

“Oh, wow!” Aurora sighed again, hypnotized by the ring’s lustrous color.

“This is the ring my great-grandfather gave to my great-grandmother on their wedding day,” Sebastian explained proudly.

Aurora removed the ring from his fingers, inspected it closely. “My father once told me that my mother had eyes like amethysts. What a delightful color!”

“Aurora, will you do me the honor of—” Sebastian began again.

“Wait!” Aurora held up her hand. “I need some time to think. I’m too overwhelmed at the moment. May I give you a response later?”

Sebastian nodded, disappointment filling his eyes. Aurora returned the ring to him, once again grateful that he never questioned her wishes.

“Good. Thank you, Sebastian,” she said as she kissed him goodbye.

Aurora sprinted the entire way home. She would have much preferred to make the half-day trip to her uncle’s estate in a comfortable horse-drawn carriage, but she need time to clear her mind. The proposal had surprised her. She knew that Sebastian cared for her with all his heart and had been courting her for well over a year now, but things were complicated.

She was a vampire, after all, and one of the special ones at that. In order to stop her aging process, she would have to give birth to a child. This meant turning her future spouse into a vampire. Sebastian knew nothing of her condition and she feared his reaction if he found out.
Would he fall deeper in love with her or see her as an abomination and deny her existence?

Then, there was the fact that her uncle Viktor harbored a hatred for Sebastian’s family. Viktor had always been power-hungry, and the thought of Sebastian’s family holding a higher status in society was not acceptable to him. In fact, Aurora had heard Viktor talk about his triumph over Sebastian’s grandfather, Christopher Hamilton, countless times. Precisely forty years ago, her monster of an uncle had viciously murdered Christopher over an inconsequential money dispute. Upon finding out that his only niece was associating with a boy from the Hamilton-York family, Viktor threw a violent fit and forbade Aurora from ever venturing into the town of Angel Creek. She, of course, had disobeyed.

Upon reaching the large, secluded estate in which she resided with her father, uncle and her uncle’s army of guards and servants, Aurora realized that she was in for one of Viktor’s turbulent uproars. Her uncle was furiously pacing around the dim drawing room, waiting for her return.

“Where were you?” Viktor bellowed, his sharp fangs extended in anger.

Aurora ignored him, averting her eyes form his angry gaze as she strode in the direction of the marble staircase. In just a few swift strides, she would find herself in the safety of her bedroom.

As she glided past him, Viktor reached out and grabbed her arm, harshly jerking her toward him.

“Do not ignore me, girl!” he growled, his foul breath hot against her face, his eyes blazing. He looked like an enraged, aggravated bull, ready to strike at any moment. “I asked you a question and I demand that you answer me!
Where were you
?”

“I went to Angel Creek. To see Sebastian!” Aurora responded, matching his angry tone.

“What did I tell you about that boy? You are not to see that family ever again. Do you understand me?”

He continued yanking on her arm, shaking her around like a rag doll. Aurora gritted her teeth in an effort to stifle the pain. She looked over Viktor’s shoulder toward where her father was standing. The tall, brown-haired man’s face was enveloped in worry lines, his expression pained.

“Viktor, please!” he cried, stepping toward the duo. Viktor ignored him. “I’m begging you,” Aurora’s father pleaded again. “Let her go.”

“That’s enough Alastair!” Viktor bellowed.

Viktor turned his cold gaze back onto his niece. “You are forbidden from going to Angel Creek. If you even step foot in that town, there will be dire consequences. Have I made myself clear?” he asked sharply.

I will not allow him to intimidate me
, Aurora thought. She was a Born, after all, a vampire far superior than Viktor. It was her own mother who had given Viktor his eternal life, and Aurora had always imagined she only did it out of pity for the pathetic man.
If she were alive, she would never have permitted such treatment to occur
, Aurora thought wistfully.
Unlike my weak father, my mother would have fought Viktor, putting the tormentor in his place—in a coffin with a stake through his heart.

“I will do whatever I wish to do, and see whomever I wish to see!” Aurora shouted, trying to squirm out of Viktor’s tight grip. Viktor’s face twisted in ferocious rage. He raised his hand, bringing it down across Aurora’s face. The sickening sound of his palm colliding into her soft cheek rang throughout the entire house.

Hot tears welled up in Aurora’s eyes, but she blinked them back.

I will not allow him to win
, she thought over and over again, trying not to wince at the stinging in her cheeks.

“Well,
dear uncle
,” she spat through clenched teeth. “Sebastian has asked for my hand in marriage. And I said ‘yes’! I’m going to marry him!”

“You will do no such thing,” Viktor roared, a slow, sinister smile spreading across his lips. “In fact, you will no longer be able to do
anything
,” he snarled as he grabbed a handful of Aurora’s hair. He dragged her down a long, winding staircase, deep into his dark basement dungeon. He shoved her into a cold, wet chamber, firmly locking the door behind him.

Later that night, Aurora found herself running through the forest in the direction of Angel Creek—dashing to Sebastian and the safety she was certain he would provide. Her nanny Elisa had put her own life on the line to help Aurora escape her prison. Aurora was certain that Elisa would have to suffer Viktor’s wrath once he learned that his niece was gone, but in this particular moment, she was too preoccupied to think about anyone but herself.

When Sebastian answered the grand manor door, relief flooded over Aurora. She was pleased that it was he who greeted her, instead of one of his family’s many staff members. He wore his loose, black sleepwear, and she warmed at the sight of him in such a private state. She threw her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

“Yes!” she shouted breathlessly. “Yes, I will marry you!” Sebastian would be her savior. He would make everything alright.

Sebastian ushered Aurora into the house, guiding her to one of the large sofas situated in the spacious drawing room. He quickly added a log to the dying fire in the fireplace, stoking the dying embers with an iron poker. Having heard the commotion at the door, his parents, Mary and William, rushed downstairs, curiously gathering around the couple.

“What’s all the excitement about?” his mother asked tenderly. She was a kind woman, so caring and devoted to her children. Aurora had always envied the warmth and love Mary had showed Sebastian and his siblings. Her father, Alastair, had once been like that. That is, until Viktor seized complete control of him.

“Mother. Father. We have some happy news that could not wait until tomorrow, it seems,” Sebastian announced, shooting Aurora a blissful smile. “Aurora and I are getting married.”