Sacred

Chapter 7

   The next morning, Alex awoke to the sound of heavy rain and smelled something cooking in the other room. She sat up and stretched, feeling wonderful and refreshed after the previous night of cold rain and wind.

   "Good morning. I…I didn't know how you like your eggs…so I improvised."

   She turned and saw Nick standing in the doorway with another tray. She had to admit. In normal daytime, he was even more captivating than he had been by candle light. She bet he'd look better in full sunlight instead of the dim glow from behind the rain clouds. He brought it over and rested it on the bed side table.

   She gave him a smile and chuckled. "I didn't need breakfast in bed."

   He shrugged and stepped back, looking elsewhere. "I just thought it'd be a good send off. For when you leave." As she reached for the tray, she jerked as her heart twisted. He expected her to leave. She paused and sat up, meeting his eyes and seeing the slight pain in them as well. He didn't want her to go. Usually she couldn't tell a man's emotions like this, but he was so easy to read. She shook her head as tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "Honestly. I don't want to go."

   He sighed and rested his hand on the door jamb. "I don't want you to either, but dad…" She sobbed and leapt up, rushing into his arms. "Please. Don't make me go. We can both leave and go find some place to live. Screw the fifteenth descendent of the Lights. I don't care who he is or where is. I want to stay with you."

   Nick gaped at her and then licked his lips, scratching his neck and shuffling his big feet. "Well…I…"

   Then he took a deep breath and grabbed her arms, pulling her close as his lips dropped to hers in a hard kiss. Their tongues tangled and as he pulled away, she moaned and fell against him, begging for another. He gave it to her, kissing her while his arms wrapped around her lower back. Her hands rested on his shoulders and then slid up behind his neck, pulling him down. Then, they both heard a click from the door and heavy feet on the floorboards. He tried to pull back, but she wouldn't let him.

   "Son!"

   Alex gasped and pulled back from his lips, turning away from Damon's eyes. Nick turned and when his father met his eyes, Damon sent him a knowing glance, filled with both humor and wisdom. It had been in the prophecy for ages that the fifteenth descendent of King Phillip and the descendent of Jason Dreery, the leader of the Lights, would marry. His father had been trying to get Nick to be a better guy all his life, but no matter what, his son just could never amount to much other than being fit and tall.

   Nick blushed and looked away, but Damon shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to walk in on that. It's just…"

   He suddenly paused and both him and Nick jerked their heads up, their eyes widening and their entire bodies tensing.

   Alex cocked her head. "Is something wro…?"

   She didn't t to finish. Both of them grabbed for her, but Nick got a hold of her first. He clamped a hand over her mouth and wrestled her towards a square of the floor that Damon lifted up. She screamed behind his hand, biting at his fingers and kicking wildly. He got them in, but kept his had on her mouth, pulling her downwards into a patch of darkness. As Damon crawled in and pulled the hatch shut, she lashed out with her foot, catching him a hard blow in the ribs.

   He grunted, but then held that foot still and met her eyes. "Stay still. I sense a Darklen."

   She gasped and stopped fighting. A Darklen? How? They were long gone and dead. All three of them stayed completely still, frozen with terror. Or at least Alex felt terror. The others might have just been trying to keep quiet. When Alex's feet began to tingle from the lengthened stillness, they heard a sort of snuffling sound from above. Glass broke a couple times and then a loud roar followed.

   Nick still had his hand over her mouth and she was glad. She almost screamed as the entire floor shuddered. Damon pulled a small knife from his boot and held it towards the hatch. Nick inched backwards into the darkness and then reached over and grabbed a sort of hood.

   He met her eyes and calmly touched her cheek. "Keep calm. I need to hide your hair and eye traits."

   She nodded and let him put the hood over her head. She heard the hatch open and as soon as it did, Damon yelled and must have attacked the creature. A deep throaty roar echoed from above and Nick immediately yanked Alex backwards down a tunnel below the foundation. She was carried for a few dozens yards she figured before she was laid on the ground.

   "Don't freak out! I can't have you panicking!" Nick's urgent whisper came from above her head before suddenly, a sort of cloth or blanket was being wrapped around her body. It engulfed every inch of her, covering everything until the only thing that wasn't wrapped up tight was her head, but before she could expect it, he must have pressed a couple fingers to the pressure point at her neck and everything went black and cold.