Fiery Frost (A House of Night Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

When I first stepped onto the grounds of the House of Night of Tulsa, I felt like I had just stepped into a Gothic fairytale. While it wasn't as creepy as I expected, it still gave off that dark, vampire vibe where no one really wanted to get close to but curiosity would always get the better of them because it looked freaking cool. Though it was more than 'freaking cool.' It looked like a medieval castle and while creepy, it was completely beautiful with the faint lighting from the candles on the walls illuminating the walk ways. My crib around Adalynn's stroller tightens as my mother and I walk closer to the large doors. Right as my mother reaches out to open the door, it is pulled open from the other side before my mother's fingers touch the handle.

A tall, curvy beautiful woman greets us on the other side. Her long, wavy auburn hair falls graciously around her shoulders, accenting the midnight blue gown she wore. Despite it been late November, and this particular night being in the thirties, her dress was sleeveless and the front of dress stopped short of cleavage. Her deep emerald eyes shown kindness and power at the same time as she glances over us and her beautiful lips were pulled into a kind smile. While she was beautiful, the most breathtaking thing about her was the filled in sapphire crescent moon tattoo aligned with beautiful swirls resembling ocean waves on either side and around the side of her face. She was stunning.

"Merry meet!" The woman calls as she motions us inside. While the cold wasn't bothering me as much as usual, I knew my mother and Adalynn were freezing. We stepped inside and are instantly filled with warmth. The room was lit with the same faint lighting from candles hanging on the walls. This was nice and it didn't hurt my eyes like the light from the sun or from regular lights. It was also reassuring that Adalynn wouldn't wake up from it being too bright.

I look at the beautiful woman who was clearly in charge. "I'm Es-"

"Estella Isolde," the woman finishes for me with smile. "I'm Neferet. I'm the High Priestess at the Tulsa House of Night. I've been expecting you," she continues to explain.

High Priestess? I remember hearing about how that was a big deal in the vampyre world. High Priestesses were powerful and respected among the vampyres and they were specifically chosen by the vampyre goddess, Nyx. It made sense that someone so beautiful and radiating power was a High Priestess.

"Expecting?" I question her, a little wary about how she knew I was coming.

Neferet laughs at my unease. "Us adult vampyres usually know when a fledgling will be Marked a couple days in advance." She glances down at Adalynn before adding with a gentle smile, "We even know about your special situation."

The High Priestess leans down and stretches a long slender out to caress Adalynn's rosy cheek. Adalynn didn't stir, as she usually did when people touched her while sleeping, but instead smiled happily as if the woman's touch was sending her off to Happy Dreamland.

"You're the first fledgling in decades to have a child. While women used to have children at earlier ages before being Marked, recently human women wait longer to have children," Neferet caresses Adalynn's cheek one more time before straightening up. "It's quite exciting to meet a fledgling mother after all these years," she continues to say to me.

I scratch my cheek as I bite my lip and glance at Adalynn's sleeping face. "I guess it's cool," I grumble. Even it was amazing to her, it wasn't to me. After all, I had to leave my child until I complete the Change or I die and never see my child again. And even if I complete the Change, I'd still have to watch her grow old and die way before me. This wasn't a blessing to have a child before being Marked; it was curse.

A frown appears across Neferet's face and disappointed laces her voice. "Dear Estella, being Marked by the Goddess is not a curse. It is a blessing for the Goddess to choose you to be one of her children and I assure the Goddess has great plans for you." I'm sure my face showed I believed the complete opposite since the High Priestess frowned even more. "Do not worry, Estella. I'm sure if you confide in Nyx about your daughter's future, she will grace you with the blessing of having your daughter in your life for years to come."