Erie waited in the shadows until Lucien took his chosen path, opting for the opposite in hopes of finding the pair before he did. Erie adored Isadora and the thought of having her fall prey to the hands of Lucien seemed unjust for her crime. Leaving Shadowhaven was a dream of hers as well, but she knew the leader would gladly grant her leave since she was of no use to the coven. Isadora didn’t have that luxury since she was the daughter of a leader and sister of a future leader.
Ambrose on the other hand, had no intention of leaving Shadowhaven. He was just as strict as Lucien, but his curiosity was probably what drove him to allow Isadora passage out of their home. Lost within her thoughts of her sibling and cousins, Erie was not aware of the girl barreling towards her in a brisk jog. When she finally noticed, the dark haired mundie came to a halt beside her.
After removing her earbuds, the woman looked at Erie with confusion, “Are you lost? You’re quite a ways from town.”
Erie put on the same persona as in the convenience store, but was quick to notice how the girl was unaffected by her aura. She was able to properly see the mundane before her, despite the sliver of light the rising sun provided.
The woman was pretty with dark hair pulled cleanly back into a ponytail with tanned skin decorated with freckles that looked almost like splattered paint across her shoulders and cheeks. With a great physique, Erie was able to discern that she was an avid runner by the muscles in her legs and lack of struggle as she breathed, despite how far she must have run by then.
“Yes, I’m actually here with my cousin. We came to see Isadora and Ambrose. Have you heard of them yet?”
The woman’s eyes lit up with excitement as she bounced on her heels. “Does that mean that you’re a vampire too?” she questioned. Erie took a cautious step back which Mel was quick to notice. “Don’t worry, Isa told me. I’m not going to hurt you or anything.”
“Not like you could if you wanted," Erie retorted haughtily.
“Fair,” the mundane chuckled before squatting down with a pleasant smile. “I’m Melinda Hardgrave, but you can call me Mel. What’s yours?”
“Erminia Amonette, but I go by Erie.”
“Do you want me to take you to Isa? Not that I could keep up with your speed, but we can continue my run to their house,” she offered Erie. There was something about this mundane that let Erie know she was trustworthy.
Maybe it was the pleasant smile or the docile nature despite being in the company of a vampire; Erie knew Mel was no foe of hers. She nodded her approval to Mel and the two continued Mel’s jog towards the crumbling house where Isadora and Ambrose waited patiently for their arrival.
None the wiser that Lucien was lurking in the shadows, no intention of finding his sister so quickly. He would observe for now.
ChapterSeven
Isadora
When I heard a knock at the front door with the drum of a human heart on the other side, I had only expected Mel. However, as I opened it, I was met with the surprise of Erie at her side with her hand grasping Mel’s like a lost child. Erie’s dark gilded eyes stared into mine as her mind probed at my own. I opened the door to my mind, letting her in.
Can we keep her?
No, we cannot keep the mundane.
I like her. She’s not like the donors back home, Isa.
She must stay here, Erie. She will turn into one of those donors if we take her back with us. Think of what my father will do.
Erie tore herself from my mind like a child would storm out of a room during a tantrum. Her eyes softened into a more child-like way and looked up at Melinda, lip jutting out in a pout.
“Isadora says I can’t keep you.”
Mel chuckled at this, but not out of amusement of her suffering but out of sympathy to a plight that seemed only a child could have. With a comforting squeeze delivered to Erie’s hand, Mel knelt down to see eye to eye with the child vampire. It must be strange to Mel for someone over a hundred years old would have the form of a child, but vampires were still a new concept of reality for her. One she was quickly adapting to.
“Unfortunately, in this world that’s not as acceptable. Would being friends be alright for now?” Erie pursed her lips as she contemplated the answer she would give. “I’ll even give you a pinky promise that we will be friends for as long as I live. Pinky promises are important to human friendships.”
I watched as Melinda held up a hand with only her pinky raised. Erie looked at it before wrapping hers around Mel’s. I felt a small wave of jealousy wash over me that had me squatting in front of them.
I raised my pinky, looking to Mel for permission. She nodded and I wrapped my pinky around theirs, my jealousy now quelled. I felt kind of childish about my response, but Mel seemed to have a pull to her that made it hard to not want to be close to her.
“Friends.” Erie smiled while I mirrored her and Mel looked pleased with the outcome. There was a twinge ofamusement in her stormy gray eyes as she beheld the intertwining fingers. As I surveyed her reaction, I could see a glimmer of sadness that I was almost too worried to ask about. The sadness dissipated in an instant as her smile grew.
“Okay, well, since we are friends can I ask how you managed to also leave Shadowhaven?” I chuckled at her bluntness, but silently commended her for being able to manipulate Erie so easily. Mel seemed to understand I needed the answer as well and was able to think quickly on her feet for an effective solution on how to get those answers.
“Lucien brought me with him.”
The pit that had started to hollow my stomach began to grow more as the fear gripped me into paralysis. Lucien was here. Lucien was out there somewhere, looking for us. Looking for me.
