The Scent Of Vampires (Book 1)

Chapter 21: Running Home

Zephora lay on the queen size bed of Jale's guest bedroom, gazing up at the ceiling. She was supposed to be resting but that was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. She had dosed off for a short time, but it was a fitful rest. For the first little while she could make out the low hum of voices and movement through Jale's home. She knew Draedyn had lefy not long after she had gone upstairs. He said he needed to find Severo, who never showed up for the meeting earlier.

Sometime toward dawn the house grew very quiet and still. Zephora was not privy to how vampires spent the their time during daylight. Did they sleep? Visions of Rafi laying in a coffin somewhere in a dark cellar made her giggle. The idea was absurd. However he spent his time she couldn't say for sure. From the silence she would guess either everyone had left, or they were resting somewhere.

It was with this assumption that Zephora made her decision to sneak away. Rafi hadn't said she wasn't allowed to leave, but his behavior gave her a pretty clear indication that he planned on sticking to her like glue. She needed to get back to her friends and keep looking for Amelie and she wanted to do it on her own terms.

Zephora lay there for a moment longer and then got up. She changed back into her own clothes minus her boots. Reaching down she grabbed the leather boots. She tied the laces together in a bow and draped them over her shoulder. After collecting her knives and tucking them securely into her belt loop at the back, Zephora made her way to the bedroom door clad in stocking feet. She hoped going without footwear until she was safely out of the house would help muffle any sounds she might make trying to sneak away.

She quietly opened the door, grateful the hinges didn't creek. As she made her way down the hall she was careful not to make any noise. The guest room she had stayed in was on the second floor, but Zephora noticed that most rooms were closed off and unused. She remembered passing another staircase that lead downstairs from the main floor. She couldn't help but wonder what was down there, and yet, part of her wasn't sure she wanted to know. She had to keep reminding herself that just because Rafi and Jale hadn't mistreated her, they were still vampires. Even if they weren't as openly cruel as killing vamps, she really didn't know what they were capable of.

Zephora made her way to the front door without any problems. She reached for the door handle and then pulled back hesitantly. What if there was some kind of alarm? She wasn't sure what kind of security measures Jale had implemented, if any. Taking a calming breath, Zephora reached out and lightly touched the door handle. When nothing happened she turned the knob slowly and then opened the door a crack. She waited for something to happen, but all was quiet. Before she lost her nerve, Zephora slipped, quiet as a ghost, out the front door and then down the steps.

Zephora new she couldn't get her hopes up just yet. Even if she had managed to get out of the house, she still had to find a way off Jale's property. She knew from her arrival earlier, that she wouldn't be able to get through the gated entrance. She made her way over to a shrubbery. Sitting down behind the shrubs she took a moment to put her boots back on. Then she proceeded to look for a way out. She saw there was a high fence around most of the property. From the looks of it, she didn't think she'd be able to climb over.

Zephora decided to follow the fence line and see if there was any place she could get through. After a few minutes of searching, she noticed that toward the back of the property the fence stopped and a tall hedge replaced it. She thought about trying to climb over, but decided it would be too easy. She needed to test things out before she did anything rash.

Zephora picked up a small stone and threw it at the hedge. She watched in surprise as the rock hit some invisible obstruction and came flying back toward her. She barely had time to duck out of the way and avoid being pelted. She tried throwing a couple more rocks in different places along the hedge, looking for a weakness. Every stone she threw bounced off the invisible force field. Zephora ran a hand through her tangled hair in frustration. There had to be a way to get through. She had to think!