The Vampire And His Lady (Silver Hills #2)

Chapter 11

As Diana dreamed, darkness danced before her eyes. It was as if night incarnate had embraced her as she dived into those endless depths of darkness. Then, out of the black, she saw two violet flames. And then hands- cold and hard- gripped her arms, clinging on tightly to her. Nails dug into her skin, as if the hands were trying to tear through the flesh to get to the bone.

With a scream, she jolted awake.

Light was the only thing that greeted her when she awoke. Streaming through the gaps of her curtains in her bedroom. That's not right, she thought. The last thing she could recall...

She suddenly felt nauseous. She could remember too much. Suddenly, she wanted to go back and forget everything. It felt like a betrayal, what she now knew. As if the knowledge tainted her very soul.

Fragments of another life- memories she'd always had but just hadn't reached for- pieced together like a jigsaw in her mind.

Thornwood. And Katherine. And Henry. And Elisabeth. And Thornwood. God, Thornwood.

She could only remember her past life up until the masquerade, but she was sure more came afterwards. Especially because of what she remembered of her visit to Silver Hills. And if love was what bound her to Thornwood... it would be an issue.

Diana dragged a hand through her hair in frustration, half caught between a sudden desire to see Thornwood, yet also the common sense to know she should avoid the man- the vampire- like the plague.

A soft knock at her door snapped her out of those unpleasant thoughts.

"Come in," she said, her voice sounding raw and strained. Whatever had happened must've taken a toll on her somehow. And she, all of a sudden, got the unpleasant thought that the person about to walk in would be Thornwood himself. Diana wasn't prepared for that confrontation.

"The sleeping beauty has awoken."

Diana loosed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar redhead enter the room, green eyes glinting with mischief and what seemed to be a relief that mirrored her own. Elisabeth, Diana was beginning to realise, was a lot like Katherine. She couldn't help but wonder if her... her sister's spirit had somehow been sent back to earth when her cousin was born.

Diana attempted a tight smile. "What happened?"

For a moment, Elisabeth stood awkwardly by the door, as if she were uncertain of something.

"Before I answer that question," she said, "I thought you should know that your family are all out- at work and school of course, we haven't done anything to them- and Lord Thornwood is downstairs in your living room."

All the air left her lungs. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe or move or even think properly. No. No no no no no no no. She didn't know why it felt so blasphemous to see him; after all, she'd had no problem being in his presence before. But she didn't know the truth then. She did now. Or some of the truth at least.

Elisabeth hesitated with her hand on the door. "Should I tell him to go away?"

Diana shook her head before she even knew what she was doing. She didn't want to face him- just the thought of it sent spiders crawling up her spine- but the idea of him being near, just separated by a floor, felt oddly comforting. She knew now that the man would reduce the whole town to rubble if it meant she would be safe- it would be foolish to reject that security because she felt embarrassed over a centuries old love affair.