Afterlife (Afterlife Saga) (42 page)

Unfortunately the moon was going behind a cloud and I was about to be plunged into darkness. My breathing started to get heavier and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. I walked forward only a few steps when as if by magic the lamps on the wall lit up in a ball of fire, then calmed down to light flames at the top. I clamped my hands over my own mouth as a scream erupted from my lips.

The lamps were made of wrought iron cages, which came down into long points at the bottom that looked deadly sharp. The iron twisted up in strips curling round iron bars, which held burnt glass in between the gaps. The flames licked the air as if the oxygen was making it angry.

I continued forward and when I reached the next lamp it did the same thing as though working off a sensor. There were five in total and they all lit one after the other, illuminating my way down the hall until I reached the door. This door thankfully had a handle and when my hand touched the cold metal the door opened automatically. I turned around before entering and saw all the lamps die one by one making a popping, cracking sound followed by the sound of glass smashing to the floor. It was like they were exploding, so before the last one was extinguished I quickly stepped
through
the door.

Once inside I tried to calm my breathing the way the doctor had shown me to control panic attacks. I slid down the door and put my head in between my knees and concentrated on counting my breaths. I hadn't even seen where I was or what room I was in, but from the warm air I gathered I wasn't outside any more. I finally looked up and once again I was in the dark. I was really frightened now and just wanted to get back to a safe place, one where I wasn't so exposed. I stood up on shaky knees and heard a door open but knew it wasn't the one behind me. I freaked out and tried to get back out onto the balcony, as at this point I would take weird exploding lamps over this any day!

However my hands searched in vain as it was like the last door... no handle...And no means of escape.

“Who's...who's there?” I said trying to control my shaky voice but with the rest of my body trembling I didn't have much hope.

“You shouldn't be here!” A deep but shocked voice said and I jumped at the words.

“I...I got lost!” I stammered hoping the voice belonged to someone who would help me.

“Oh no, you’re not lost...you've been found.” The voice was getting closer and made my skin give way to
Goosebumps
. I was trying to move but something had me frozen to the spot.

Then the voice ordered “Hala Olmak” (Means “Be still” In Turkish) I couldn't even move my arms, hands, anything on my body apart from my head. I tried to block out whatever it was manipulating my mind and concentrated by pushing out the control that was over me. I tried to think of a way to free myself so started by drawing in my mind an image of me moving. First my fingers wiggled and then one of my arms was set free, it didn't take long before my body was my own again and I quickly shifted to the side.

“How did you do that?” The voice asked with what seemed like controlled anger. I didn't answer, not wanting to give away my location as I was still edging sideways.

“Here let me give you some light, we wouldn't want you bumping into anything and hurt yourself, I know you have a habit of falling down.” His voice was smooth but finished with a rough edge. A candle lit somewhere close to me and I could only see the space around me. An orange glow spread out fading into the darkness and my eyes squinted to adapt to the small circle of light. I moved a little bit more thinking if only I could find another door I could then make a run for it. My foot knocked on something but I steadied myself on the wall behind me.

“Careful Keira!” The voice knew my name? It was definitely a man's voice, as it was far too deep to be a woman's, yet I still didn't recognise its roughness. It moved around the room making it hard to pinpoint a location but I couldn't just wait here for him to get to me even though he obviously knew where I was as the light was bouncing off my skin making me glow. Another flame lit up my way but I could only make out the wall and floor. I kept side stepping feeling my way along when the voice spoke again.

“I wouldn't keep moving that way if I were you.” It sounded like a threat but it didn't stop me, I could feel I was getting close to something as the air had changed.

“What do you want?” I said gaining some more courage.

“Isn't it obvious...why the very reason you came here… back to me.” I took four large steps away from the voice but in the dark I couldn't see as the candlelight didn't reach as far as I had travelled. I hit something waist height, nearly falling over and was going to tumble over it when a hand reached out and grabbed me, stopping me from falling. Strong hands pulled me back and in one swift movement had me twisted around and pressed me solidly up against the wall.

He gently held the back of my head with one hand so I wouldn't bang it against the stone my body was now leaning on. His body leaned close and his hand slid down from my head to my neck making its way to the front. He held his thumb on my throat without applying too much pressure. It seemed to be calming my breathing as I was panicking on the inside but on the outside my body remained calm.  We were still in the dark and I couldn’t see the face in front of me but I felt as though I was outside again. I wondered if the thing I had nearly fallen over was another
balcony?
If that was the case, whoever was stood opposite me now had just saved my life. I relaxed my muscles and the voice responded.

“That's it, easy now.” His other hand held my shoulder back as I tried to wrestle
free from his hold. His hand gripped my shoulder like a vice but he never once hurt me.

“I asked you, what it is you want?” I said trying to sound more angry than scared.

“Don't be frightened Keira, I would never hurt you.” I don't know why but I trusted his words. Maybe it was down to the calming effect the movement his thumb was still making on my throat. His hand relaxed on my shoulder and moved down to my waist but again when I tried to move away his hand flashed to my side holding me still against the wall.

“Be still!” He said with clear frustration in his voice.

“You want to know what it is I want but first you will answer one of my questions.” His face bent down to mine and felt so close I could smell his sweet intoxicating breath invade my senses. 

“What...what do you want to know?” I said shaking my head as I couldn't think of anything I could offer him.

“Why did you come here?” He asked softly. I hesitated and tried to look away but his hand slid up my top to get to my sides sending sparks of heat up my body. My chest rose heavily with the feeling and I let out a whispered moan, which made him show his teeth. I couldn't help but stare at a perfect white set but it was the larger canines that had me gulping. Did he have fangs? When I didn’t answer he tried harder to provoke one from me and with his other hand he released my neck and stroked my cheek saying

“Come now little one, tell me.” I tried to think of a different answer than the truth but in the end I just admitted the reason.

“I came here to find Dominic Draven.” I said and I was sure I could hear him smile at my answer.

“Is that right, well lucky for you... you found him.” I tried one last attempt to move from under him but he was too quick and grabbed my wrist pulling me back to him.

“Oh no you don’t.” His voice held a hint of the truth but I didn’t want to believe it!

“You're lying.
Draven wouldn't keep me here like this.” I shouted as I tried to see into his eyes but the black night behind only enhanced the dark shape in front of me.

“Oh really... you know me that well do you? Well have you ever thought there is a reason I am keeping you here like this?” His voice sounded different, anger mixed with hurt.

“NO WHY?” I shouted still trying in vain to get free. When he had finally had enough of trying
to prevent
me from escaping he pushed his body flush with mine, shocking me into remaining still. His body felt warm and his solid muscles tensed back against my small frame. His head bent down to my face and said in earnest,

“I'm trying to keep you safe, as I said before you shouldn't be here... not alone anyway.”

“Then let me go and I will leave,” I said in a whisper.

“I'm afraid it's too late for that, I will have to deal with this in a different way.”
This didn't sound good so I tried one last plea.

“I'm sorry that I came but please don't.” His hands left my body and grabbed my wrists like lightening as I said this.

“Don't do what... hurt you?” He didn’t sound happy.

“Get rid of me,” I said as a tear started to form in the corner of one eye. He laughed lightly and replied,

“Why would I ever want to get rid of you, what would make you say that to me?” 

“Because I'm ...I'm broken.” I said as the tears got too heavy and fell down my cheeks. He had released my wrists and now used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my skin.

“Well if that is the case, then I guess I will just have to fix you.... but before you go, I owe you an answer to your question.” he said stepping away from me and my heart fell back into its normal pace.

“You asked me what I wanted.” He said repeating my earlier question but I could barely hear him as the moon had come from behind the cloud, now revealing the awful truth...it was and had been all along... Dominic Draven.

He was removing something from the long jacket he wore and the metal flashed in the moonlight. I froze as he bought the implement closer to my face. I was about to run but as though reading my thoughts he grabbed me once more around the waist picking me up with one arm tightly curled around my torso. He lifted me up to the level of his face until our lips were at the same height. He leaned forward until they nearly touched and his mouth moved over mine as he whispered the answer,

“I want you!”

Then suddenly he stabbed me in the neck, jabbing me so hard that I cried out in pain before everything went blurred and my body went limp in his arms.

Chapter 23 – Cat fight

I felt the pain in my neck and cried out, bolting upright, nearly falling out of bed. It took me a few minutes to understand what had happened. I was here back in my room but how did I get here? I rubbed my neck where there was a tiny pinprick of pain as though I had been bitten by something. I turned on my lamp and looked around the room but there was no evidence that I had moved. 

It must have been a dream, but surely it couldn't have been. It had felt way too real. The most real yet. I could still smell Draven on my skin and around my waist was warm from
where
he had held me so close. I got up and went into the bathroom. As I turned on the light my eyes stung even more at the bright light, so it took me a moment to focus on what I was looking for. I faced the mirror and arched my neck finding a little red lump with a tiny red dot in the middle of it. I rubbed it with my thumb trying to understand what I had just experienced.

I was still shaking my head when I went back to bed and continued to do so when I woke up the next morning. The next day went by in a daze. As if I was a drone being controlled by another part of me, the part that had to conform. I answered when people spoke to me, with the right yes's and head nods but it was like this was my dream and last night had been my reality. I played with the red dot on my neck all day, as if checking it was still there.

Jack had asked me a few times throughout the day if everything was alright and I had answered him as though I was on auto pilot. I walked into history like a ghost, I was still aware that I was being whispered about but the difference today was... I just didn't care!