This is very rough. But it's almost polished... sooo sneak peek :)
When I came to, the light in Tristian’s
office seared my retnas. But somehow I could still make out that terror
inducing form looming almost in the center of the room. That lean, muscular
body, covered in scars stood like a monolith, broad shouldered and clutching that
length of black velvet to his narrow waist. My pulse thundered in my ears as I
found myself too terrified to even close my eyes—let alone look away. That tall
imposing figure was no longer a lurking silhouette in the shadows. Vlad—the mythical
Uniter—was awake; and he did not look pleased. Tired, intensely blue eyes gazed
on Colette with such profound sadness that even I was moved in spite of the
excruciating pounding at my temples. But she didn’t seem to see him as she
leaned against… Aleksi? No, he’s dead.
That’s Nikolai. A low guttural growl rumbled from Vlad’s throat as he
turned away from Colette’s delicate form—it was like he could smell her madness.
All of that profound touching sadness boiled to rage so hot I could feel it
pressing in on me from the shadows. My
eyelids rose and fell in a slow motion flutter as a sharp pain abruptly clawed
behind my eyes, wrenching a whimper from my tight and terrified lips. That pain
would not be ignored. It intensified until I could hear it. I had to shut my
eyes against the shrill high pitched ringing that accompanied those phantom
talons shredding through my brain. Familiar
hands caressed across my shoulders, hands I shouldn’t have felt—Aleksi’s hands—and
the pain and the terrible noise stopped abruptly, like someone had pressed
mute.
As I opened
my eyes, I was hoping, praying that Vlad would be gone like the pain and the
terrible noise. But no, Vlad was still there, only now stalking about the room,
the heavy black velvet drape slithering behind him like the tail of some
dragon...the tail of the red eyed beast on the Dracul crest. He paused in front
of the terrified, haggard looking figure with the black hair and immaculate
posture. It took a handful of those slow motion minutes for it to fully sink
in; the form leashed to Colette wasn’t Aleksi. Vlad’s head tilted from side to
side as he assessed the collared traitor in Aleksi’s clothing. He stood inches
from that trembling, terrified form. Still Nikolai didn’t see him; those pale
pleading eyes were locked on me. And then Vlad, that terrifying specter, turned
his attention to me. Look away. He
took a step towards me. Look away. Look
away. Look away.
My hazel gaze
dropped to the floor as a pale freckled hand waved in front of my eyes and Evan
stepped between me and Vlad. Muted protests were spoken to me as I stood and
backed out of the room. I practically ran down the hall, but I ran in the wrong
direction.
Before I knew it I was standing in that tomb…
and so was Vlad. My gaze dropped to the floor as I heard footsteps behind me and
the world sped back up to real time. Don’t
look up. My body trembled visibly as I watched that heavy velvet slink across
the floor.
“Père!” Colette’s happy voice chirped,
followed by the tittering of her heels on the floor. I watched their shadows on
the marble as they embraced and he cupped her face in his hands. The gesture
was fatherly, and loving as he kissed her forehead. But all of that fatherly
love abated as he grabbed the lead from her and yanked Nikolai to him. Someone’s
hands closed over my eyes.
“Don’t look,” Evan whispered to me, as
Nikolai screamed…long, loud and blood curdling. Guilt crept in. Isn’t this what you wanted?
“Papa don’t! I promise, I won’t whip
Aleksi again! I promise! Don’t! Papa, je l’aime! Je l’aime! Arrêtez! Arrêtez!” Colette wined through
high pitched sobs, chokes and shrieks of lunatic desperation. I leaned my head
against Evan’s arm as I started to cry. Was this what I wanted? You wanted a horrible death for him. Isn’t
this the second person dear to you that you’ve killed Seer? I swallowed in
the dark as I remembered Kendra’s death and I couldn’t take anymore, so I
pressed my hands to my ears to shut out the noise. That won’t stop it from happening. Remember what your mother said? Careful
what you wish for, you just might get it.
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