Page 26 of Night Fall
“No one harms you, ever,” Erik said. His voice was so deep, so dark and commanding that it shook her to her core, then he turned. She felt her breath catch as she took in the blend of silver, red, and orange in his eyes. Before she could say a word, he cupped her cheek and slammed his lips against her own.
He kissed her as if they were not on a battlefield, as if they were not surrounded by death and dismay, as if the scent of his victims did not still hang in the air. His kiss was commanding, all-consuming, refusing to allow any space between them. He was her water, her air, her core, her anchor to this world. Without him she would float away. She kissed him just as hard, just as passionately, giving everything that she was and taking all of him in return.
A large crash sounded behind them, making them break apart, but Erik refused to loosen his hold from her, so she turned to face the new challenge with him.
He relaxed against her slightly as a carriage came into view. The door opened and out stepped a pale woman with long, straight black hair, and dark, almond shaped eyes. She smiled when she saw him, and Erik gave her a tiny smile in return.
“Hello, Miriam.”
“It is nice to see you again, Erik. Although next time could you try to rein in your fire? You almost damaged the carriage, and this thing cost a fortune.”
He rolled his eyes. “Only you would bring something of high value to a battlefield.”
“You will not be complaining when the expensive cushions keep your arse from being sore.”
A small hiccup of laughter left Mya’s lips, drawing Miriam’s gaze.
“Ah, you must be his—”
“Mya,” Erik interrupted. “This is Mya.”
Miriam paused, and Mya looked between the two, wondering what it was that Erik had stopped her from saying.
“It is lovely to meet you, Mya. I have heard a lot about you.”
Mya met her smile with one of her own. “And I, you.”
She tried to leave Erik’s embrace to properly greet Miriam, but Erik refused to let her go, even when her brother and cousin neared them. When Mya tried to move again, Erik growled.
“Hush,” Miriam said with a dismissive wave. “I know she is yours; I will not try to steal her from you. Now, if you are done being territorial, we have a long journey ahead of us, one which I would like to start before your fire blocks our path completely.”
Mya giggled under her breath as Erik bristled. After a few seconds he finally conceded and slipped his arms from around her. He gave her a sharp look, but she ignored him and instead took his hand. “You can be territorial later,” she whispered.
A grin spread across his lips as he ushered her into the carriage where they were barraged with questions about their relationship by her family and Miriam all the way to France.
NINE
18TH CENTURY
Mya became a new woman in France.
Miriam was a thief, a charlatan, a seductress, and Mya’s self-appointed mentor. According to her, Mya only knew masculine power: how to fight, bear arms, and kill someone. But there was another type of power––feminine power––and it could be just as destructive, just as chaotic, without ever needing to break a sweat.
So, Mya learned how to sing, play the harp, perform, and command a crowd, how to be mysterious, give society a taste of her and leave them wanting more, all while still being comfortable in her own skin. She learned how to take criticisms and rework them to her advantage, how to make a mockery out of stupid men who believed she should be valued less than them for simply being a woman. She learned how to gain money, influence, power, and how to bring men, and even women, to their knees, much to Erik’s dismay. He did, however, enjoy that she became bolder and braver around him, especially in the bedroom.
Mya was so fulfilled that she now saw her time in England in a new light. She had even taken to keeping a journal, filled with firsts she’d had with Erik and things she had taken for granted that she was now grateful for. Her life may not have been perfect, but it was hers to live, and every hardship she faced only served to make her a better person.
Their next move was to Spain, a gift from Erik to her and her family. While they couldn’t stay in the same village Mya had been born in, they were able to see the resting places of her parents and aunt. Mya spent most of her day with them, only vacating the area to allow her brother and cousin to do the same. She told them about her life and how much it had changed, how much she wished they could have been there to see it.
From Spain they went to Italy, then Switzerland, and it was there that everything fell apart.
The witch trials had been in practice for centuries, and while they had been able to avoid them in the past, this time they could not. Not only had real, practicing witches who belonged to the Magic World—the world in between the human world and the Otherworld—been tried and convicted, but the immortals they worked with had also been killed.
Every immortal knew that they were not invincible, but there had never been such a successful slaughter on their kind. And that was not the only one; there were reports all over Europe of new, young immortals being experimented on, tortured, and killed, especially in Germany and Switzerland. Humans did not seem to know what they were, just that they seemed to be different. Old lore and legends of vampires, werewolves, faeries, elves, mermaids, and more began being whispered in the shadows, and each whisper held far too much truth for their liking.
It was those whispers that made Erik, Mya, and her family finally agree to set sail for America in the hopes that they would be able to build a new, safe life there. They knew America had been stolen from its people, but Gregori and Erik had a plan. They wanted to build a council, a government for immortals. They hoped species who had previously isolated themselves from others would be willing to join them in this new leadership and realize they could have a voice within the Otherworld. With this joining, they hoped that infighting and segregation would stop. Instead of being divided forces against the new threat, they could band together to protect one another. This union offered safety, security, a new life and escape from a torturous death.
They met with Miriam, who had purchased a ship and crew members for their voyage. They gathered their food and supplies and then set sail. During the trip, they matured as vampires and received their first abilities. Gregori gained the ability to control and manipulate energy, and with enough practice he realized that could fortify it, create anything he wanted to with his energy and then use it as a real, tangible object.
