Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,19
"No."
"What's the matter?" she asked disdainfully. "Surely you're not afraid of this box?"
I shook my head, too ashamed to tell her it wasn't the coffin I feared, though I must confess I was loathe to climb into it. What I feared was the darkness inside.
"Do as you wish," she said, her voice tinged with disgust.
Turning her back to me, she climbed into the casket, her movements as graceful as a reed bending in the wind.
I stood there for a long while, and then, without knowing how or why, I knew the sun had come up. I felt myself growing heavy, lethargic. The feeling, so unfamiliar, frightened me, and I ran up the stairs and hurled myself into the casket. Lilith was lying on her side to make room for me. She smiled smugly, and then she lowered the lid on the casket, shutting us in darkness.
A hoarse cry of primal fear rose in my throat, and then I was dragged down into a deep black void, all conscious thought swept away.
When I awoke the following night, she was gone. I lay there for a moment, my body wracked with pain such as I had never felt before. And then, realizing where I was, I bolted out of the coffin and ran down the stairs to her bedroom.
She was sitting on a velvet-covered bench, brushing her hair. I realized then that there were no mirrors anywhere in the house.
"Awake at last?" she asked. "I had rather thought you'd be an early riser, being a farmer and all."
"Lilith, help me."
"What's wrong?"
"I hurt." I wrapped my arms around my stomach, certain I was dying, only then remembering that I could not die.
"It's nothing to be concerned about," she remarked. "It will pass after you've fed."
My gaze darted toward the bed as I remembered the boy she had killed the night before. She had drained his life. That was how she took sustenance. The thought filled me with revulsion, and then, to my horror, I felt my teeth grow long at the thought of the boy's blood on my tongue.
"No." I backed away from her. "I can't. I won't."
"You can," she said coldly. "You will."
"No, never."
"You can come with me now, tonight, and learn to hunt, or you can leave my house and learn to survive on your own."
"And if I don't wish to survive?"
"Then you have only to wait for sunrise. A fledgling such as yourself will burst into flame at the first touch of the sun."
I shuddered at the thought, at the hideous images her words conjured in my mind.
"There is much you need to learn, Alesandro. I can teach you, or I can destroy you. The choice is yours."
I had never thought myself a coward until I faced the very real possibility of dying again . . . .
Chapter Seven
He called the hotel again at eight, and at nine, and again at ten. And always the message was the same: Neither Miss Crawford nor her grandmother had checked in.
Worried now, Alex left the house. Opening the garage door, he pulled his car keys from his pocket and slid behind the wheel of the Porsche. He turned the key in the ignition, listened appreciatively as the engine hummed to life. Backing down the driveway, he headed for Grenvale.
The Porsche flew down the highway. He had grown to love the sense of freedom he experienced behind the wheel. He felt attuned to the car, almost a part of it.
He arrived in Grenvale in record time. Leaving the Porsche in the motel parking lot, he locked the car door, then crossed the blacktop to the motel.
And again the message was the same: Miss Crawford had not checked in.
With a curt nod, Alex left the motel. Standing in the shadows, he let his mind expand. Kara, where are you?He waited, listening, and when he sensed no reply, he drove to the hospital. He drove through the parking lot, feeling a ridiculous sense of relief when he saw her car.
He parked the Porsche next to her Camry, then went into the hospital, determined to find out what was going on.
The night nurse listened to him patiently, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, "Miss Crawford is in an isolation unit. She's not allowed any visitors just now."
"I want to see her doctor."
"I'm afraid he's left for the night. He should be back first thing in the morning if you'd like to call then."