VROLOK (46 page)

“I’m glad you came,” Abraham began when they met that evening.

“Well, how could I not when I was so formally requested to do so. Your note said you wanted to ask me something important. I had to know what it was.” Isabella realised Abraham was very nervous, for when he had taken her hand in greeting it was clammy and hot and yet it was a cold night in February. “What is wrong with you?” Isabella asked. “Why so nervous?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he answered. “Nothing at all,” he repeated quickly again.

“All right, I believe you, why all the mystery and the written invitation?”

“I will tell you later.”

“All right, where are we going then?”

“For a walk along the river bank—it is a beautiful night.” Isabella pressed out her arm for Abraham to take and the pair started to walk across the bridge on to the river bank.

“This is where we first met,” Abraham stated.

“Not quite, remember the Flying Dutchman?” Isabella corrected him.

“Oh, yes.” Abraham remained silent for a few seconds. His nerves had momentarily settled as the pair had started their stroll but he was becoming skittish again.

“What is wrong with you?” Isabella asked.

“Nothing,” Abraham retorted. “Stop asking me what is wrong!” he shouted.

“I will if you tell me why you have brought me here,” Isabella snapped. She was not one to tolerate being shouted at.

“All right, all right, I asked you here because I wanted to ask you to…”

“To… what?” Isabella stated getting increasingly more and more impatient.

“This is not how I envisioned this happening.”

“I am going home; I am tired of your riddles.” Isabella turned to leave. Abraham caught her hand and pulled her back. At that moment Isabella was struck by how strong he was. She had not put up much resistance but what little she did should have been enough to make him relinquish his grip on her.

“I asked you here because I wanted to ask you to marry me,” he said. Isabella forgot momentarily about his strength because she was amazed by the content of his outburst. She started to laugh out loud. All this time he thought he had been courting Isabella and she had not even realised. He was always so courteous and gentlemanly, Isabella had dismissed it as being due to his upbringing, not ardour; her heightened vampiric perception was of no use to her with Abraham.

“Marry you?” she said through her laughter. “You must be mad.”

“I didn’t think that I would ever have a lady laugh at me when I asked her this question. This is not how I imagined it.” Isabella was still laughing at the absurdity of the situation she was now in. Abraham was now hurt by her reaction. “Isabella, please stop laughing.” The sincerity in his voice curbed Isabella’s blithesomeness, and her laughter was immediately silenced. Abraham began to speak again reiterating his proposal. “I love you and I want you to marry me.”

“Abraham,” Isabella began.

Abraham quickly jumped in before Isabella could speak; he sensed that she was going to say no. “Before you say anything, at least think about it.” Abraham took Isabella’s hand in his and pulled it to his chest, pressing her hand to his heart.

To Leila and Vlad, who were still watching, this was the first sign of any sort of passion between the pair. Leila thought to herself that this was the night to act. She would kill this man in front of Isabella to ensure that Isabella knew that the only future she would have was one of constant misery.

“What I mean to say is…” Abraham continued. “I am from a good family, I am going to be an important physician, and I will work all the days of my life to ensure that you have everything you desire.”

Isabella was touched by his words. “Abraham,” Isabella said, still trying to interrupt him.

“No, I am not finished yet,” Abraham protested, but Isabella had to speak. She would not let Abraham continue on.

“Listen to me, Abraham!” Isabella took both his hands in hers and said, “I care very deeply for you, but I cannot marry you.”

“Why not? What possible reason could you give me to refuse me? I have every possible answer to any excuse you could give me—I have been thinking about this for a very long time,”

Isabella smiled at Abraham, a warm heart-rending smile.

“Believe me, there is nothing I would like better than to live out my life with you, raising a family; it would be like a dream come true.”

“Perfect, then you cannot refuse me.”

“I have to.”

“Why?” Isabella tried to think of an excuse that would stop his persistence. “Tell me, give me one legitimate reason,” Abraham continued. Isabella turned away from Abraham.

“Believe me, I am tempted more than you will ever realise.”

“I can convince you if it takes a decade, even a lifetime, I will convince you.”

Isabella turned to Abraham. “Stop,” she said trying to silence Abraham. “I can’t marry you,” she cried.

“Why? Why not?” Isabella was feeling the pressure of the constant questioning by Abraham.

“I can’t,” she retorted.

“Why can’t you?”

“I can’t…because.”

“Because?”

“Because I am already married.” Abraham stepped back from Isabella.

“Married?”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t wear a ring.”

“When I left my husband, I chose not to wear his ring.” Abraham walked a few steps away from Isabella.

“Tell me he is an old man and might die soon,” Abraham flippantly pleaded.

Isabella smiled again. “That is not very charitable of you,” she said.

“I am not in a charitable mood.”

“Well, he is not old and is unfortunately in perfect health; you will probably die before him.”

“Well, I am so glad he will outlive me. Why did you leave him?” his sardonic tone becoming more earnest.

“He hurt someone very close to me and let me believe he had nothing to do with it. When I found out he did, I could not stay with him.”

“But you wanted to stay with him.”

Isabella looked at Abraham, shocked by how perceptive he was. “I did.”

“You still have feelings for him?”

“Yes… I will always have some feelings for him; that is my curse.”

“And I can’t change your mind?”

“No.”

Abraham got up and bowed to Isabella. “If you ever reconsider, I will be waiting.”

Isabella watched as Abraham slowly walked away. At that moment she was struck by the thought that her last chance of happiness was walking away from her. Isabella could not let him leave; she deserved some happiness, she needed some, she had spent so many years alone she could not stand it any longer. Just a few years, she thought, and then she would leave him.

“Abraham, Abraham!” she called after him. Abraham turned back towards her. She ran to him flinging herself into his arms. “I lied,” she said. “I never married him. I was supposed to but never did; I am free to marry you if you will still have me.” Abraham returned her embrace, and whispered in her ear.

“Of course I still want you,” Abraham said. Isabella’s eyes were shut, her head resting on his shoulder. She was holding him so tightly, fearing that if she let go he would slip away. Isabella reopened her eyes to see someone running towards them. It was Leila; brandishing a knife, intent on killing Abraham. She was running at tremendous speed. Isabella pushed Abraham back from her in an attempt to save him. It was too late; she could do nothing but watch as Leila slashed her knife deep into Abraham’s back. Abraham reached out for Isabella trying to speak her name. He fell to his knees and then collapsed completely to the ground. Isabella looked away from Abraham towards Leila; she too had fallen to the ground. She had been injured and was screaming in pain.

Leila was holding her face wondering what was wrong and where this pain had come from. Isabella launched herself at Leila and pushed her over to see why she was screaming out. Her face had been scarred by Abraham’s blood. Isabella couldn‘t believe what she saw. Along one cheek it looked as if she had been very heavily burnt, like someone had poured acid onto her face. Isabella let Leila go and left her to writhe around in misery. She was in great pain; she dragged herself up onto her feet and ran away. Isabella went back to Abraham; he was lying on his stomach. She pressed the tip of one finger into his blood. A pain seared through her and her finger wizened slightly into a tiny scar.

“Dhampir,” she whispered. Abraham’s wound had partially healed. She rolled Abraham onto his back and looked at him. Colour was starting to return to his cheeks. The wound that Leila inflicted should have been mortal, but there was no scent of death surrounding him. He was going to live. Isabella looked again at his wound; it was starting to heal rapidly now. It was not as quick to heal as it would have been if Isabella had received it but it was healing very quickly, nevertheless. Isabella wondered what to do. She realised what she should do. She should kill him and take from him enough blood to finish off Leila. But Leila would be granted a reprieve tonight. Isabella picked Abraham up, being careful not to let any of his blood come in contact with her skin, and carried him back to her temporary home. She placed him on her bed and waited for him to awaken.

Days passed and he still had not woken but on the night of the fourth day as Isabella sat beside him, Abraham took a deep, sharp breath and opened his eyes with a start. He was bewildered and confused, but when he saw Isabella his mind settled. He felt safe with her, but he shouldn‘t have. Isabella smiled at him; she believed there was no point telling him what he was and what she was at this point. She would wait until he was fully recovered before she did that, to at least give him a fighting chance.

Weeks passed and soon Abraham had completely healed. They hadn’t talked about that night but Isabella knew he would soon start asking questions.

“I am fully restored,” Abraham began.

“That is good,” Isabella answered Abraham, smiling as she did.

“I think I owe my speedy recovery to you.”

“I did nothing; you healed so quickly yourself. Do you ever remember being sick in your life?” Isabella asked.

“No I have always been quite healthy; in fact this is only time in my life that I can remember being even remotely ill.”

“I thought as much.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t marry you,” Isabella stated.

“Surely we have been through all this.”

“Now I am certain. You cannot convince me otherwise and you will not want to when you know what I am.”

“Isabella you are talking nonsense.”

“I am a Vrolok, a Vampire and you are my opposite, my nemesis, you are a Dhampir.”

“A Dhampir?” Abraham staggered and clutched his head. “I feel quite light- headed all of a sudden.”

“You should, because I have drugged you; you will soon pass out and when you awaken tomorrow I will be gone.” Abraham was slowly losing consciousness but he would stay awake long enough for Isabella to tell him what she had to. Isabella took a knife and slashed her arm. Abraham watched in amazement as the wound healed almost instantly before his eyes. She then took the knife and pricked his finger with the tip of the blade. She pricked her own finger and instead of healing it withered her skin into a scar.

“You are poison to me. I am a Vampire and you are destined to be a Vampire hunter, as you are the only one who can be.”

Abraham was stunned by what he was seeing and hearing.

“We will meet again,” Isabella stated, sure that they would. “But I fear the next time we meet one of us will have to die. I am leaving you now but I want something from you first.” At this point Abraham blacked out and Isabella slashed his wrist to take some of his blood. She could kill Leila now, and she wanted to use her grandfather’s sword to do it.

Isabella had left the sword with Vlad; he had had it long enough. She wanted it back. It was hers and the only thing left from her grandfather that she possessed. She called into see Jakub before going to the castle. He was an old man now but Isabella was glad to see an old friend.

“Are you well, Jakub?” Isabella asked.