Descend into Darkness (BOOK 1)

| 21 | The Calm

Despite him just beyond the glass, the distance between Isaac and me felt vast. 

I shuffled over and tried the door handle. His gaze lifted and he stared at the glass. There was no way he could see me, but he must have known then, that someone was just on the other side. 

The light above him was like a spotlight. Thick shadows cut across his face and darkened his demeanour.

The man inside was not the same person I knew.

He rattled the chains. I staggered backward, my hands covering my mouth. What did he do to deserve this kind of treatment? Sage mentioned his inhuman nature, but what exactly was he?

   "Kelsey, I don't think we're supposed to see this," Paced said quietly.

   "We didn't see anything," I said.

   "Right." He nodded. "Right."

   "In case we get caught, I'll take responsibility."

Pace turned to look at Isaac one last time. As he did, I noticed the vein in his neck, so large and throbbing; inviting.

Drink the blood of a human... your salvation.

The echo resounded from deep within my mind. I clutched my fists and took a step closer, stopped myself, then turned away in shame.

   "Are you okay?" Pace said.

   "I'm just... not feeling well all of a sudden."

   "Are you... you know?"

   "The sooner I get back, the better." I walked away from the room, but Pace didn't follow. "I won't do anything to you--"

   "It's not that. You know, vampires turn humans at the point of their death."

   "Pace--"

   "So even if you bite me, I won't turn..."

   "I won't do that to you." I said firmly.

   "You'll feel better. I know it's forbidden, but I want to help. I've been thinking about it a lot since what happened the other day."

Pace pulled a small key out of his pocket.

"Evander gave me this so I could walk you back to your room. You know, my sister turned into a vampire. Even though my family were hunters, they wanted to protect her. When the Association found out, they took her away and executed her. My family was shamed and demoted to the lowest rank. You think they'd have just kicked us out, but no... maybe they wanted to set an example, or maybe they felt bad for us in some way."

   "Pace..."

He gritted his teeth.

   "I was at boarding school at the time, so I didn't know until I came back for the holidays. I always think, if I had come back sooner, I could've done something. I'd have made sure she didn't lose control. We could've run away for all I care. Anything to keep them from bringing her here."

Tears fell gently from the corners of his eyes. I hesitated, unsure whether it was safe to get near him, but told myself that he needed comfort. 

His words were heavy with grief. I walked back and put my arms around him and thought, if only I could drain the sorrow from his heart. At first, his request seemed like the worst thing to do but, looking at him then, it suddenly felt like it wasn't.

   "I just don't want you to suffer like she did," he said.

   "But if I don't stop..."

   "You will."