CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27
Rain poured so hard it felt like small ice blocks falling on the car I drove on the slick and endless road. I pressed on the paddle when I heard the police sirens getting closer to the car. “Did we get all of it?” I asked, looking back at Kade, my partner in crime, and one of our team members, who was busy counting the money we had just robbed from the local bank.

Kade looked up with a satisfied smirk on his face. I excitedly squealed at our successful mission. “We got a lot of it.” My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly they ached, my breath coming out in short bursts.

The wipers fought against the downpour, but I could barely see past the hood of the car. The only thing I had to do now was drive this fast enough to get to our hideout place before the police find us.

Then out of nowhere, there’s a small figure with long hair standing in the middle of the road. I slammed the brakes and screamed at her to get out of the road.

Tires screeched, rubber burning, the sound slicing through the storm. Everything slowed down, stretched thin like time itself didn’t want to see what came next.

Her eyes met mine through the rain. Dark hair plastered to her cheeks. Bare feet on the wet asphalt. She looked cold and sad. And then the impact happened.

A thud that cracked through my bones. I gasped in disbelief that I just ran my car into a child. I immediately got out of the car and stood there for a second, my mind reeling with confusion and fear, unsure of what to do next. The two that I was with had their mouths open in shock.

The girl lay on the ground, her tiny body curled unnaturally. I stumbled toward her, heart hammering so hard it hurt. “Hey,” I whispered, dropping to my knees. “Hey, wake up. Please.” Her head turned slowly, her face pale beneath the curtain of wet hair. When she opened her eyes, they were hollow and dark-looking.

My mind battled with my heart. If I take her with me, I will get arrested for the charges I have been wanted for, charges that could change everything. If I leave her here, she will die.

“You left me,” she said softly. The words pierced through me like knives.
“No, I’m still here,” I said as I slowly patted her hand, tears making their way down my face. “Aine, the police will get here any minute. We need to go.”

“You left me in the rain.” Blood pooled around her hand, spreading across the pavement like spilled ink. I felt it seep into my jeans, warm, sticky. I tried to pull away, but my hands wouldn’t move, and they were covered in blood. Her blood. Her head tilted to the side, and she smiled, too calm, too knowing.

“Now you can’t leave,” she whispered. The rain grew louder. My chest tightened. I tried to breathe, but the air refused to come.

The headlights flickered, dying one by one until everything was black except for her eyes. They glowed faintly in the dark, and when she reached for me, I screamed.

I jolted awake, gasping for air, drenched in sweat. My heart was pounding so fast that it felt like it would come up out of my throat. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was, just the scent of damp wood, the flicker of shadows across the ceiling.

Then I remembered: Alaric’s mansion. The room, they told me, is where I will be sleeping every time I visit. But the echo of the child’s scream, a haunting sound that seemed to reverberate through the very walls, still rang in my ears. I sat up, clutching my sheets to my chest, trying to calm my breathing.

“It’s not real,” I whispered, even though a part of me wasn’t sure anymore. Nightmares have a way of making you feel alive in the worst possible way. “It’s not real.”

My head snapped toward the corner of the room when I saw movement in the corner of my eye. And for a second, I thought I was still dreaming. Someone was standing there tall, still, the outline of a man barely visible through the moonlight spilling through the window.

“Alaric?” I breathed, though I already knew. The chill crawling up my spine was enough of an answer. He stepped forward, the light catching the sharp angles of his face. His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“You talk in your sleep,” he said softly, like he was amused by something only he understood. “Kept saying no over and over. Quite dramatic.” I swallowed hard, confused about what to make of this.

“What are you doing in my room?” He tilted his head, his smile widening just enough to make my stomach twist. “I heard you scream,” he said. “Came to see if my daughter was dying. But apparently, you’re just haunted.” Immediately, he said that I tense up, annoyed that he is being creepy, and he doesn’t even see anything wrong with that.

My throat felt tight. “You shouldn’t be here,” I whispered.
“Neither should she,” he murmured, taking another step closer. “The girl from your dream. The one in the rain, you think she’s real?”

My blood went cold. “How do you—” He chuckled, cutting me off. “A father knows things. Your nightmare, they’re not ordinary. They pull from truth.” I stared at him, frozen, unable to move as he brushed his fingers against the edge of my blanket, almost affectionate, but there was nothing warm in his touch.

“You have ghosts, Aine,” he said, lowering his voice. “Sooner or later, they’ll all come knocking.” And just like that, he turned away, fading into the hallway with the same eerie calm he’d arrived with. Why would he be so excited that I have ghosts coming?

I sat there, trembling, the echo of rain still in my ears, and for a second, I swore I could hear a child laughing just beyond the window. I got under the covers and pulled them over my head, debating my next move, but I should try to make my way back to my world.

I got up, put on my clothes, and tried to make it to the dining room without getting lost in the vast rooms here. I noticed my cousin Adrian on her phone in the hallway. I walked towards her, grateful that there was someone to help me navigate my way here.

“Hey, do you know how I can get back to my car? I have a few clothes I left there to change.” I said lying through my teeth. I don’t want to cause any despair by publicly announcing I am leaving. She looked up and gave me a small smile.

“Yeah, you can just take the clearing through the woods, and it will take you through the cemetery.” I looked at her in disbelief, even though she wasn’t looking at me.

“Why the cemetery?” I asked, concerned about how she knew that Alaric found me at the cemetery. “Our house is connected with the cemetery, silly, but you can’t see it if you’re not from our bloodline.” I almost huffed out in relief. It would’ve been really sad for me to know everyone was discussing me and spying on me.

I nodded and started making my way to the forest; luckily, no one followed me. I followed the clearing and I appealed at the cemetery, I sighed in relief. I just spent a night with a vampire family, and one of them wants my blood. What kind of spell was I under when I agreed to go with Alaric?

I quickly walked to my car and noticed a few people standing by looking inside. I quickly noticed Elara and my mom, with concerned looks on their faces. They instantly saw me walk towards them, "Where have you been?" I looked at them, confused. I was only gone for the night. Why is everyone being so dramatic?

"I went to visit Alaric," I said, glaring at my mom. She sighed, seemingly annoyed. "You went with him to his house? You have been missing for two fucking weeks, and your mate is on a killing spree."