His Bloody Bride

Chapter Three: A brief encounter with an old friend.

CHAPTER 3

Run, Eryn.

The familiar voice is all I can hear in the darkness spread before me, a sort of unending dread of something unknown starts to fill me. I have to take deep breaths to calm myself but I slowly realize that's not the reason I'm sucking in as much air as I am right now. My eyes fly open and I can suddenly feel my feet beating against the ground underneath like a drum.

Someone or rather something is chasing me and I'm trying to get away.

Do not let anyone catch you. The voice that says this sounds eerie, almost demonic like. I fear the voice more than I fear anything else right now. It feels like there's a shadow of something behind me, it's gaining its pace behind me and I'm so afraid to stop.

They know. They know you killed him. They will not let you go. Once more the voice fills my head almost doubling the fear contained in my body.

All I can see in front of me are trees and my arms reach out to push the branches and leaves away as I try to pick up my pace so I don't get caught by whatever is chasing me. The moonlight that's peeking through the leaves of the forest I'm running through serves as a light so I don't end up tripping on roots or something else.

My legs slow down as I try to catch my breath. I know I shouldn't be stopping but my body isn't listening to me.

Crack

I hear something coming from my left side. I turn to my left and see dark tendrils reaching out for me. I scream as the tendril catches hold of my left arm. I then feel my right arm being pulled back and I realize another dark tendril is wrapped on my right arm.

All my hairs rise on my arms because they feel cold to the touch.

Slowly tendrils arise from everywhere and they cover my body like a cocoon. I scream as loud as I can but the sound is being absorbed by the tendrils.

Too slow, Eryn.


* * *

My eyes snap open as I struggle to breathe but it doesn't take very long for me to get my breathing under control again. I sit up, my fingers rubbing against my temples in an attempt to ease the headache that's forming. I turn my head to the window on my right, the beauty of the setting sun puts my mind at ease for a while but my heart can't seem to stop pounding erratically inside my chest.

I look around and try to focus my attention on something else. Something that would make sure I don't go through the same unsettled emotions I went through during my dream. I hadn't had dreams as terrifying as that for a year now. What scares me the most about that dream is how painfully real it felt when the tendrils grabbed my arms and how scared I was when I couldn't move.

I intake a sharp breath trying to calm my very nervous self. I take another deep breath and look to my left, Frost is asleep right next to me. I smile a little because he looks so peaceful when asleep.

It's then that it dawns on me. I can escape right now.

I slowly turn my body towards the edge of the bed and lift my legs from under the covers. When my feet touch the ground, I turn to my back and watch Frost with my eyes, he groans and moves to the other side.

I stand up slowly, my eyes never leaving Frost's sleeping figure on the bed. I tiptoe towards the door and I reach out for the doorknob, slowly turning it. The quiet click that accompanies an unlocked door causes my heart to soar. I let the door open halfway and before I move past it, I take another look at Frost making sure he's still sleeping and his groaning confirms he is.

When I've finally made my way out of the room, I close the door slowly making sure not to make too much noise.

Before I realize it I feel my hand on my chest, my heart is beating nervously. I hope I don't get caught.

I'm standing in a hallway now. On my right the hallway splits into two sides, my eyes scan the area on my left and it's the same thing so I decide to go left, taking another left I try to walk as slowly and quietly as I can until I reach the top of a stairway.

It's strangely quiet now and I start to feel weird that I haven't seen a single vampire walking around but as soon as the thought forms in my mind I can hear the echoes of brisk footsteps coming my way. I can't find anywhere to hide so I choose to hide behind a large flower vase and when the footsteps disappear I slowly move away from the vase and towards the staircase.

Usually, I'm not this stealthy but I guess my body realizes the kind of danger I would be put in if I stay here any longer. When I'm halfway down the stairs, a question hits me.

Where would I go? How would I get back home? Do I actually want to go back?

As much as the idea of going back home is unpleasant to me I know I don't stand a chance of surviving if I stay here. Frost said he wouldn't hurt me and he wouldn't let anyone hurt me but I'm guessing not everyone shares his values. I'd be dead if I were without him and I'd rather not die right now.

I know I promised him I would stay but that is blind stupidity on my part if I believed he could protect me from getting eaten.