Read Within The Shadows Online

Authors: Julieanne Lynch

Tags: #urban dark fantasy, #prophecies, #gothic fantasy, #new adult, #blood and shadows, #vampires and undead, #betrayal and revenge

Within The Shadows (5 page)

I watched
the men at work around me, trying hard to ignore their strange
features. Their purplish dark skin stretched tight against their
bodies, and their long tangled hair was worn loose around their
shoulders. Their deep red eyes were the most startling of all. They
seemed to be devoid of life, cold, and hollow. They wore the same
black clothing, each resembling the other, except for the emblem on
each cheek. The symbol was unique, each one slightly different to
the other. A black dagger with an oval head shaded in crimson sat
upon the right cheek, the centre of the dagger engraved with tiny
letters. I could not make out the wording, but the intrinsic art
was beautiful.

I was caught
staring, and hid my face. In the blink of an eye, he stood there in
front of me with eyes that were wide and frightening.


What is it you seek, child?” He brushed his hand across my
face.

I refused to
respond. His breath was sharp and enticing. I found myself becoming
weaker, unable to resist looking into his eyes. The red pools
rippled seductively. I wanted to swim deep within him, and for a
moment, I lost my senses and aimed forward.

He laughed.


You have a lot to learn, dearest Giselle. My blood is not
for your taking.” He cackled as he pushed me hard against the
wall.

I was
paralysed.
My body was rigid. I couldn’t
move an inch. I was trapped.

Alex, wake up
!
I mouthed, but no words left my
mouth.


Do not be frightened.
I merely
feel that you have been left uneducated.” He turned his back on me,
and reached for something on the table.

Every eye in
the room was on me now. Alex was slowly coming around, and becoming
aware of what was happening. He rose to his feet, and walked over
to me.


Afanas, what is the meaning of this? Release her at
once!”

Afanas
sighed. “The girl has been ill-informed. I believe she must fully
understand what is expected of her. Alexander, I apologize.” He
bowed his head.

Released, I
fell to the ground in a heap, and looked up at Alex as he offered
me his hand. I took it, and he helped me to my feet. He exhaled,
and gestured for me to follow him.

Outside, the
air was thin and icy. I felt the cold, but did not shiver. We
walked in silence until we stopped at an old fountain. The water
flowed with brilliance as the moonlight sparkled brightly on my
reflection.


Giselle, I do not pretend to think that any of this is
easy. To be honest, I didn’t think I would pull it off.” Stopping,
he looked at me. He pushed the hair back from my ear, and smiled.
“I’ve known you for almost six years, and not once have I been
totally honest with you.” His voice changed.


Alex, you’re scaring me. You have no idea how frightened I
am.”


My birth name is Alexander Baranski, not Alex Burns like
you thought. I am the son of Prince Leonid Baranski.” He
paused.

I shook my
head. “No, this doesn’t make sense. I’ve known you since we were
twelve-years-old. Surely, I would have noticed something different
in you.” I tried hard not to cry.


My family is a descendent of the Nelapsi. We are not
gluttons like them, as we can survive quite well on small amounts
of blood, but we need to add to our bloodline for the sake of our
future. A future that involves you.”

I could not
take much more. I did not want to believe any of this. It was
nonsense, yet he seemed so sincere.


I want to go home right now. Take me home, Alex, please,” I
begged him. Tears welled up in my eyes, burning as I held them
back.


Don’t you understand what I’m telling you? You can never go
back, not until the prophecy has been fulfilled.” His voice was
tense. “Giselle, what you knew as life has changed. You will become
one of us. It’s something that has already begun, and there is no
way of reversing it. You must accept this as your fate. Don’t fight
it.”


What God-damned prophecy? What the hell have I become,
Alex, huh? What am I, if I’m not dead?” I screamed into his
face.


A
nightwalker; a vampire.”

 

Chapter
Four

 

THE WORDS
STUNNED
me, and I was rendered
speechless. I looked around, reeling from the word used to describe
my newfound fate. This had to be some sick and cruel
joke.

Vampire.

Holy mother
of hell
! Alex was much more messed up
than I thought. I mean, in this day and age, we’ve all heard the
same old stories over and over again, but that did not mean I had
to believe it. Vampires did not exist, and that was something I was
sure of.

He stopped
my train of thought, and hesitated before he spoke. “Giselle, say
something, anything.”


You are so
out of your frigging mind,” I said as I moved away from
him.

He forced me
to stand still, his hands clasped tight upon my shoulders. “Look at
me, Giselle. Really look at me. What do you see?”

I stared at
him, looking at his beautiful green eyes, and the loose blond curls
that fell around them. He was a stunning sight to behold. His high
chiselled cheekbones would make any guy jealous, and his body was
rippled, yet so soft. Yet it was his eyes that held me, the green
turning a reddish-brown. Slowly, a crimson red overflowed from
them. I saw the same blood I had seen within Afanas’s
eyes.

I stepped
back from him. “You . . . Your eyes!”


I’m sorry,” he choked, turning his back on me as he walked
further away.

I could not
believe what I was seeing. The guy who had saved me from every
pitfall, who helped wipe my tears whenever Marc let me down, this
same guy was a monster. I could not comprehend what I was seeing or
hearing.

A
t that precise moment, I felt
something inside me. It wasn’t my emotions. I could feel someone
else’s torment. The shame at what he had done mixed with a profound
sense of guilt. I sensed something deeper, something that
frightened me, something that was both hate and disgust. I tried my
best to forget I’d felt it. I looked at Alex as he slowly faced me,
and it was then I knew the so-called bond had begun.

Suddenly,
the urge to hold him overcame me. I couldn’t fight the repulsion at
what he had done to me, and I found myself embracing him instead. I
had no control over my actions. It was as though something had
taken over my body, but I knew deep down inside, I wanted to hold
him.
Or that was how I
thought I felt.

His
eyes held the truth. They were cold and distant.
It was not the Alex I had known or come to love. I wanted him to be
sorry. I wanted the old Alex back, not this thing I felt compelled
to hold.


Am I really
a vampire?” I muttered in his ear.


Yes, but a
new breed.”


I don’t understand. What makes me different?” I asked,
feeling completely crushed.


You will remain mortal. Well, almost.”


Err, I just
don’t get it!”


Giselle, your soul never left your body. You remain alive.
Only your humanity is slightly altered.”

I gave him
the same puzzled look I’d worn since I had awoken.


Okay. When I bit you, I drank from you, and whilst doing
the deed, I kind of tainted your blood with my venom. Not enough to
kill you, but enough to kick-start a change. Kind of like a
metamorphosis, if you like. You know, a mutation of your
DNA.”


Right, so I’m not dead. I’m still human, only kinda like a
mutant? That figures!”

He laughed
at me. “Yeah, a mutant, only you need blood and certain life forces
to sustain you.”

He arched
his right eyebrow, and gave me that million dollar smile of his. I
was such a sucker for that smile.


Life forces?” I prodded, puzzled.


You will need the life force of humans to survive. You will
drink their souls.”


Oh, my God
!” I
cried.


Giselle . . .” he started, only to have me cut him
off.


Will I ever see my family again?” I felt heartbroken,
thinking about my erratic, but loveable, mother.


You can see them, but from a distance. It would be too
dangerous for them.”


But if I’m not like you, then how can I be a danger to
them?”


It is not you who would be any threat to them, but rather
the rogue vampires hunting you, amongst other things.”


What?” I sputtered with disbelief.


You are going to be hot property, Giselle. In order for us
to keep you safe, I’m afraid all contact with the outside world
will have to cease until after you have been
consecrated.”


But they’ll be worried! You know what Mom is like. She’ll
probably have the FBI searching for me right now. God, what if
they’re freaking out?” I cried before his words sunk in.
“Consecrated?”

Alex held my
hand. “Look at me. All has been taken care of. You left town to
pull yourself together after being deceived by Marc. You’ll keep in
contact via the phone, and you’ll call in every week or so. You’ve
reassured them you won’t do anything crazy, and the
consecration
thing
is a simple blessing done by the
elders.”


It seems like every angle has been covered, except I feel
kinda left out. I’m the one who’s expected to just take all of this
on the chin, and accept it for what it is. It’s so unfair, Alex.
You should have been honest with me from the beginning. Marc’s
deception hasn’t got a thing on yours!”

Pushing him
away, I walked back towards the path, feeling completely destroyed.
I wished I would wake up from this nightmare that was now my so
called ‘life.’ I wanted to look back, but my stubbornness refused
to let me give in to my newly forged bond.

 

* * *

 

The moon was
partially covered by lingering clouds that seemed to follow me. I
walked the length of the path to a clearing, and entered a small
courtyard. Up until then, I had not taken notice of my
surroundings, and realised I was no longer in Minnesota. The sweet
scent of the blossoms hit my nose. For the first time ever, I
inhaled the delicious fragrance, and absorbed its beauty. My senses
were now much more acute.

Opening my
eyes, I saw a beautiful woman approaching me. Her long red hair
blew effortlessly in the still of the night. Her eyes were deep
red, her lips full, and her complexion whiter than snow.


Giselle Bergman, it is an honour and a privilege to meet
you,” she said as she held out her arms to me.

I had no clue who she was, but
I felt obligated to allow her to embrace me.


The night is our time, the time for understanding, chimera,
and meditation. The darkness we see now covers the earth. Our
hearts are whole. Now, the night is ours,” she sang in my
ear.

Whatever she
said was way above my head, and I just smiled in confused
appreciation.

She laughed
as she let go of me, raising her hands up in the air. “Giselle,
there is no need to be afraid. I am Alexander’s
nevlastná
matka
, or step-mother, Atarah.” She laughed as
she watched my every move.


Oh, hi,” I muttered awkwardly.

Alex had not
once mentioned
her,
only his father, Leo. How stupid I
felt.


Walk with
me, child.”


I’m sorry if
I seem rude, but tonight has been kind of surreal.”


But, of course. You have undergone some magnificent, but
all the same, terrifying changes. I would not expect you to feel
anything other than scared. It’s natural, but rest assured you are
with those who have your best interests at heart.” She spoke
softly, calming the nerves that had knotted in the pits of my
stomach.

The
noticeable burning began in the back of my throat, and instantly, I
yearned for blood. I became agitated, and I was pretty sure my face
said it all.


Giselle, are
you all right?”


I don’t know,” I panicked. “I don’t know what’s happening
to me.”

Suddenly
, I was out cold, lying
on the bitter frosty ground. I was unconscious for but a moment,
yet Alex was soon by my side.

I felt so
weak, and unsure of my feelings. I wanted to wake up from the
madness of this nightmare. Something deep within tried to reason
with me, convincing me of its truth. I knew what was happening, but
I was in denial. I wanted to forget about the present, and slip
into the past, a place where life was ordinary, and I was not
expected to be something other than myself.

 

* * *

 


Giselle,
don’t even think about peeking, ok?” Marc teased as he led me
through a doorway.

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