As I rounded the corner to my room, I nearly collided with Elsie. We both gasped and silently shushed ourselves.
“Oh, Charlotte,” she whispered, placing her hand over her chest to calm her racing heart. “What are you doing up so late?”
“I just needed a snack.” It was partially true.
She frowned slightly, eyeing me. “It’s a bit later than usual.” She was well aware of my late-night snacking habits. I shrunk under her suspicion, and she saw right through me. “Charlotte.” Her tone grew firmer. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” The weight of the lie nearly flattened me. I had visited a witch and allowed her to cast a spell on me. I had let a vampire feed from me. I had another vampire’s blood mingling about with my own. All would faint to know my truth. I was well and truly over my head. The reality that was always known to me was fracturing. And Alaric was a ticking time bomb, prepped to detonate the moment I defied him. No, I most certainly was not alright.
“Are you sure you can handle this all on your own?”
No. “I have to.”
She tilted her head, her eyes welling with a sympathy so heavy it was crushing. “What makes you think that?”
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
She grabbed me by the elbow and led me into a nearby sitting room, closing the door behind us. She lit a sconce and sat us down on a settee.
“It doesn’t have to be the right place; it just has to be somewhere.”
I smiled. She always found a way to unravel what I hid from and air it out in the morning light. “You don’t believe in demons, right?”
“Of course not.”
“So that means you don’t believe the vampires are demons?” Though the belief was a part of my foundation, there was a reason I despised the violence. It didn’t feel right. My body knew something was wrong, something I couldn’t quite place. And maybe this was it. Maybe Sebastian was telling the truth. And somehow we had gotten it all wrong.
“No, no. Though they may seek the blood of humans, it is only their nature. A mountain lion would love to eat you too. I suppose they are demons as well?” She tilted her head, raising her brow sky high. I snickered.
She paused, thinking on her next words. “I know you believe in the Raven God, as most people here do. I have never had such a connection. Just doesn’t fit.” She held my eyes. “Those who follow his word follow it to the end. Beware of those looking to speak through him.”
My eyes widened. She smiled warmly, squeezing my shoulder.
“So, you think it’s a lie? The vampires are not demons?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think. What do you think?”
I think I’m going to be sick.
I stared blankly past her.
“You don’t have to think it all at once.” She gave my shoulder another squeeze.
I wanted so badly to tell her everything. No matter what I said, she would never turn away from me. But I was in a place now where no one was safe. I did not know exactly what Alaric was capable of, but given how many newborns there were, he had killed many. I didn’t want to risk anyone getting near what was sure to implode at any moment.
“Is there something else?”she asked.
Yes. “No, that was all. I’ve just begun to have ... mixed feelings.” That was putting it lightly.
By the look on her face, she could see the weight on my shoulders, and she knew I was holding back, but she didn’t pry. “Alright, girl. Sleep will clear your head.”
As we parted, and I headed back to my bedroom, a world of confusion and clarity opened before me. It mushed together into a formless mess. But I knew one thing was certain: I needed answers. No matter what Alaric threatened, I couldn’t stop. I had to move forward. And I had to prepare myself for his retribution.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I never thought I’d ever get the chance to stand before the portal like I was now. The center of the portal was an eerie void, though there was a strange texture to it, like rich velvet. It beckoned me close. My fingers twitched to glide through the silky black. The void was framed with what appeared like millions upon millions of sparkling rubies. The rubies crumbled into a brilliant shimmer, only to fuse back together and break apart in a perpetual cycle. Scarlet diamonds rippled outwards like waves lapping ashore, and the delicate cuts of light writhed together. There was a hum within the air, the low notes of the portal’s song suspended between worlds.
It was snug between two ancient pines deep within the Lost Woods. The woods was situated along the furthest outskirts of Kilthorne. It earned the name because of its knack for disorienting visitors. The few that had made it out in the past swear that they had seen trees shift, as if their roots untangled from the soil and slithered along the loose earth to root elsewhere. Any attempt at making paths was quickly concealed by shifting brush and ever-growing brambles. At a certain point, too many had been lost to the woods that travel was strictly cautioned. And after the portal appeared, entrance to the woods was now prohibited. Except for Society members, of course.
