Burning Souls (F.T Sequel)

Chapter Seventeen

A/N: The last chapter was kind of short, so sorry about that. BUT MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I'm amazed at how well planned this chapter is, because you know, it's Christmas in real life and in the story. I did NOT plan that. Hope you enjoy =)

-xoxo, Sophia

...°...

I open the bedroom door behind which Dominic's been waiting for me, freshly showered and dressed in a deep, velvety royal blue dress that plunges in the tight front and flows out by the waist, gracefully falling to mid-thigh. I've braided my golden hair into a single plat which falls halfway down the middle of my back, and strands frame my face delicately. Dominic's crystal eyes sweep me up and down, and he nods to himself, extending a hand for me to take. I place mine in his and without a word we walk down the wooden, candle-lit hallway, silently listening to the constant clatter of my black, heeled booties against the floor. I'm grateful that I remembered to wear thick socks under my ankle-rise boots, as the tip of my hunter dagger constantly presses its point into the thick sock. Without, it, it would be my skin. Lucky for me, I'm also part human, so that single cut that it takes to end a full vampire wouldn't kill me. But, it still hurt like hell when Julia cut me by accident. Better not to repeat that mistake again.

"You look beautiful, by the way." Dominic's smooth voice brings me from my reveries, and I offer a tight smile when I find him looking sideways at my face. I still haven't forgotten about his thought that he forced upon me, showing me Hunter's darkest and terrifying side. I keep thinking that that day that Alice and I were kidnapped by the vampires, when I was captured in that exact cellar, if I couldn't read minds, would Hunter had done the same as he had that poor woman? The thought sends shivers down my spine, but I force myself to relax.

It's Christmas after all, I think, with a bitter smile.

We arrive at the elegant archway, and Dominic beckons me forward. "Where is everyone?" I ask, slightly surprised when my eyes sweep over a silent living area, where our friends should have been. "Listen," Dominic simply says, tilting his head and watching me carefully. Testing me, I realise. I let out a sigh and close my eyes, focusing on every little wisp of the curtain when the wind hits it, or the slight bird songs protruding from the tree tops outside. Then, I hear it: the voices, the rich laughter and the homely chatter, all flowing into my brain from above my head. I also get fragments of Alice and Julia's thoughts, if I listen carefully enough. I look upwards with surprise, but the only thing I see is a plain ceiling. I look back at Dominic skeptically, and he smiles to himself at my unspoken question. Then, he walks over to the fireplace, where he presses a finger into the wooden-panelled wall. On cue a part of the ceiling seems to fold into itself and down falls a wooden, rickety staircase, barely upheld by trembling rope. The voices are much louder now, and I realise that the ceiling is so thick as of to conceal any noise from upstairs, unless you listen closely. It's some sort of safe house hidden inside the cabin.

"You were testing my capabilities as a vampire weren't you?" I say sharply, looking at Dominic intently. He merely shrugs and walks over to stand in front of me, lazily searching my face.

"Half vampire," he corrects arrogantly, before sweeping an arm upwards to the stairs that will lead to our friends. "After you, darling."

I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at him. "You thought that I wouldn't be able to hear them because of my human side, didn't you? You were testing me."

"I was testing your use to me as a vampire. Not as a mind reader, as that I know you're fully capable of. However, yes, I was curious to see if you would have the necessary characteristics the other vampires have in order to lead my plan into success. I admit, I'm surprised that you have the same abilities as a normal vampire would." Dominic then takes a step forward and I freeze as he sweeps a cold hand over my cheek. "Except," his finger trails down my skin, "for the warmth that you can feel with strong emotions. You are cold, but not as dead as a full vampire would be. For instance, you blush." He bends down and places a light kiss on my forehead, and it lingers there even as he straightens back. Of course, I blush.