CHAPTER 17
I jolted awake when the old clock in the hallway chimed. I check the time and it’s midnight.
I drag myself from the couch and open the door to check around the yard. I walk to the back of the house and sigh in relief when there’s no one or anything suspicious. I hate this feeling, the dread feeling when anything can go wrong at any moment.
I’ve been circling the house every half hour, making sure that vampire isn’t lurking around. And I haven’t seen anything, but I can’t help but feel like something is bound to go wrong. And from what I’ve heard about him, he is dangerous, and I have to make sure that he doesn’t get close to Aine.
I lean against the wall, arms crossed, trying to convince myself to go to bed, but I can’t. I promised her mother that I would take care of her, I would never forgive myself if something happened to her, and I was responsible.
My mind keeps thinking of Aine. I have been working so hard to get her out of my mind, but it’s been failing. She hasn’t spoken much since she went to bed, and she won’t eat or look at me. I can’t say I blame her; she’s sick, scared, and probably hates me for rejecting her. I hate myself for doing it.
Despite everything, something keeps pulling me to her, to constantly monitor her. I think maybe I can’t handle seeing her in this state; a part of me is scared of what might happen.
I sigh and glance at the time again, Twelve-thirty. “One last check,” I mutter, pushing away from the wall. One last check on her, then I am going to sleep. We have a very long day tomorrow, so I need to rest.
I walk up the stairs and head down the hallway, walking slowly so that my boots won’t wake Aine up if she is still sleeping. Every sound echoes louder than it should here; the mansion creaks under any weight.
When I reach her door, I hesitate for a moment. The air feels wrong, thicker somehow, colder. She’s probably awake, maybe, so I knock softly. “Aine?” She doesn’t answer.
My chest tightens, and I push the door open, worried that something is wrong. The room is dim, moonlight spilling through the curtains. At first, I don’t see her, and then my heart stops at what is in front of me.
She’s on the bed, but not lying on it. She’s floating a few inches above it, body stiff, face pale, her hair drifting like she’s underwater. Her lips move, but no sound comes out.
“Aine!” I rush to her, grabbing her shoulders. Her skin is icy cold, and her face is pale. I stand for a second, shocked, thinking about the right thing to do. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even blink.
“Aine, wake up!” I shake her gently, afraid to hurt her, but she doesn’t respond.
Panic claws up my throat. “Come on, please don’t do this.” I grab her hand, it’s like ice, and press it to my chest.
Her pulse is faint, fluttering like a bird trapped under glass. Her head tilts slightly, her mouth twitching, and I look at her with the hope that she is waking up from whatever nightmare she was having. But then her body jerks and lifts higher.
“No, no, no…” I climb onto the bed, kneeling beside her. “Aine, you need to wake up. This could kill you. Please.” Her eyes stay shut and her body unresponsive.
Her lips begin to move again, this time whispering something soft, broken syllables that make no sense. It’s not English or any language I know.
I lean closer, hoping to listen better, maybe I might under a few words. “Aine, can you hear me?”
Her voice gets louder, clearer. “You need… to get rid of that man so this child will live. The words hit me like a punch in the gut; that was not her normal voice. Could it be that she’s possessed or has lost her sanity after so much pain?
“What?” I whisper. “What man? What child?” She doesn’t answer. Her voice drops again into that strange language, faster and desperate, like she’s fighting something.
I grab her face gently, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes are wide open, but I can tell that she is not awake.
“Aine, please. I’m right here. You’re safe, okay? You’re safe.” But she doesn’t stop. Her body starts to tremble, her fingers twitching like she’s in pain.
I groan, feeling frustrated about this. What the hell is going on? I can’t stand it. My chest feels like it’s being ripped open. I pull her closer, arms wrapping around her floating body, even though her body is cold and stiff, I hold her for dear life.
“I lied,” I whisper, voice breaking. “When I said I didn’t need you. I lied, Aine.”The words come out before I can stop them. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since my sister died. Do you hear me? I can’t lose you, too. Please, just wake up.”
Still nothing.
Her breathing grows shallow, her lips still moving in that same haunting rhythm. I press my forehead to hers. “Please,” I breathe. “I’ll do anything. Just open your eyes.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, the air shifts. The cold rushes out like a wave breaking. Her body drops softly onto the bed, limbs limp, chest rising again in slow, steady breaths. The tension in the room vanishes just like that.
I sit there, frozen, watching her chest rise and fall. My hands are shaking from all the hyperventilating. I reach out and brush a strand of hair from her face. “Aine?” Her eyelids twitch. Slowly, she blinks, her eyes focusing on me.
“What… what happened?” she whispers, voice hoarse.
“You—you were floating in the air with your eyes wide open,” I said, still breathless. “You were talking in some strange language. I couldn’t reach you.” She frowns, confused.
“I don’t… remember that.” I let out a weak laugh, half relief, half disbelief. “Yeah, well, you scared the life out of me.” She looks at me, really looks, and I realize how close I am to her.
My hands are still on her shoulders, my face inches from hers. Her breath brushes my chin, warm and real. Without thinking, I lean forward and press my lips to hers. It’s a soft, trembling, and passionate kiss that leaves me relieved and proud that I finally did what I have been dying to do.
She gasps quietly when I pull back, her eyes still partially closed. “Raven…”
“I’m sorry,” I say, voice low. “I didn’t mean—” But she just shakes her head slightly, eyes glassy with confusion and whatever else I couldn’t pinpoint.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. We sat and engulfed each other. The only sound is the wind outside and our uneven breathing. Finally, she leans back against the pillow, closing her eyes.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she whispers. I sit beside her, still trying to steady my heartbeat. “Whatever it is, you’re not alone,” I say. “We’ll figure it out.”
She gives a faint nod, then drifts off again, exhausted. I remain seated next to her, determined to watch her until the sun comes up.
Outside, the wind howls, and for a second, I swear I see a shadow move past the window, a figure just eerily standing against the window. My hand goes to the gun at my side, heart tightening. But when I look again, the person is gone.
I glance back at Aine, lying still and peaceful, and whisper to myself. “Nothing will happen to you as long as I live.”