Without uttering a single word, Draven rose to his feet and departed, his absence leaving me in the suffocating darkness. It echoed the night my mother died, my clothes covered in blood once again. I felt my limbs growing cold, my body tensing as the dread closed in. In that moment I decided that I could no longer be frozen by fear.
Gathering what little resolve I had left, I walked through the corridors, my steps echoing in the silence of the mansion. My heart pounded with each passing moment as I approachedDraven’s chamber. I knocked softly on his door, my voice trembling as I called out to him.
“Draven?”
I pushed open the door, revealing Draven standing on the other side. His eyes, once filled with an otherworldly hunger, now held a mixture of relief and uncertainty.
“Rosalia,” he murmured, his voice a whisper. “I did not intend ... I did not mean to cause you harm.”
I entered his room; I closed the door behind me.
“How do you feel?” I asked him softly.
“I shall be well in a few days.” Relief laced his tone. “I am fortunate he lacked proper aim. He missed my heart by a considerable amount. Also, given the amount of sunlight I was exposed to, I am quite surprised to be alive. The trials Dr. Montgomery subjected me to appear to have strengthened my immunity to those rays. Most Blood Hunters would have died.”
He moved closer to me, his hand extending toward my cheek with hesitation. I nodded reassuringly, and he brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his touch gentle and comforting.
“What of you? Are you injured?" he asked.
“I am sore and scratched,” I replied. “I intended to depart this morning. That was when they ambushed me. I was furious, fully prepared to leave.”
“Why were you intending to leave?”
“I found the nursery,” I said.
His gaze sharpened. “I can explain everything, should you allow me.”
“I wish to hear it all,” I replied. “And I would like to remain. However, if I do, I must insist that you share every detail of your life with me. No more secrets. I am ready for the truth. I also have a request to make of you.”
“Anything,” he replied, his hand gently cupping my cheek, drawing my face closer to his.
“I cannot continue living this way, in perpetual fear,” I declared, my voice now firm.
“I promise, I shall tell you all that you wish to know,” Draven said.
“It is not that …I need ...”
I took a deep breath.
“I have decided. I will no longer be weak, and I grow weary of running.” I barely processed the gravity of my words until they had escaped my lips. “I want you to turn me into a Blood Hunter.”
“Rosalia,” Draven said his eyes wide in shock. “No. I cannot wish this for you. I do not want this existence myself. I am tired of living in the shadows each day. You deserve to live a normal life.”
“I believe you forfeited my chance at a normal life the moment we wed, Draven,” I said a weight leaving my chest.
“That was selfish of me. I was blinded by love and hardly knew what I was thinking.”
“I feel a sense of betrayal, yet I cannot deny that my feelings for you run too deep to simply vanish. I am still in love with you, Draven.”
“I love you, Rosalia, and I cannot bear the thought of you becoming a monster like me.”
Before I could utter another word Draven turned into a bat and flew away into the night.
THIRTY-SEVEN
January 25, 2010
Vail and I contemplated whether to stay home or attend the show. After a brief discussion, we decided that rather than avoiding Sam and Ivy, it would be better for us to act nonchalantly and simply show our faces. After all, why give the impression that we had something to hide? So, we found ourselves settled in a plush booth at the venue.
