Page 48 of Dusk Macabre

Not in the least bit hungry, I ignored the offerings. I wanted to eat the treats just to spite the Fae and their implications, however, I didn’t trust them. I would only eat when I had to.

Even though I had zero faith they held even the remotest bit of goodwill toward me, there was no way I was going to wander the house all day. Leaving the couch, I marched out of the room and headed for the exit.

Where Leander and Adrian went, I had no idea. The building was cold, empty, and silent. My soft footsteps echoed through the main foyer, the soft scuff of my shoes, the only noise.

Once I stood in front of the double doors, I stared at them, eyeing their brass latches. There was a good chance something bad would happen if I touched them, I figured. Glancing over my shoulder, I didn’t see anyone else around, and I reached for the handle.

Nothing happened and my heart rate returned to normal. I’d half expected to explode into a million pieces due to some sort of wizardry. A vision of the two Fae peering maniacally into a crystal ball to track me filled my head and I pushed it away, worrying the daydream was all too close to reality.

The fresh air rushed through my lungs when I pushed the doors open, and for the first time in what felt like forever, my mind cleared. It was different than the air back home, but still a massive relief. This was a city, but the air was richer and cleaner than any one I had been in and much more like the woods I used to roam.

There were no lingering aftereffects from Adrian messing with my legs, and the three steps down to the courtyard were no trouble at all. When I looked to the left, there was a parking area with three large vehicles. To the right, a shrubbery lined path leading to gardens full of flowering trees and plants.

In front of me was a tall, black iron gate with sharp spires lining the top. I was definitely not climbing that. The closer I got to it, the thicker the air felt. It was like trying to walk through water or running from the scary monster in a dream, and your legs aren’t connecting with what your brain is telling them to do.

It took everything in me to wade through the invisible mud and still, I couldn’t reach the bars of the gate. Not only was there invisible mud, there was also an unseen wall. They had to have put a spell on the escape route.

The second I gave up, the barrier disappeared. I had no trouble walking backwards, and I scanned the property for further options.

For lack of anything better to do with my time, I wandered into the gardens. They were well kept, although different than anything I’d seen before. There were birds with orange and red feathers buzzing around some gorgeous white flowers that had red stuff dripping from them. Fitting, I thought, considering I was surrounded by supernatural creatures. The liquid looked a lot like blood.

Every now and then, I thought I was getting glimpses of people amongst the trees and bushes in the distance, but they moved too fast for me to see. It was probably for the best since the figures appeared yellow and sickly, with straggly hair, best I could tell from the split-second visuals.

At one point, I felt something brush along the side of my face. There was nothing there when I whirled to check what had touched me. Holding my breath, I waited. It felt like fingers were crawling up my spine, and I stiffened, praying for the creeping hand to go away.

The material of my gown stirred against my legs, and I spun in a circle, coming face to face with some type of being. Its hair was stringy and an odd yellowish gray, slightly darker than the remaining skin of its skull. Bulbous eyes peered down at me from a mask of torn flesh.

An arm that matched its face reached out toward my own, and I batted it away. It made no difference. This time it went for my hair, catching it with a skeletal grip.

“Let go of me!” I yelled, trying to grab my hair back. The creature pulled away, tugging me forward since it hadn’t let go.

It yanked again, and I swung my other arm up, shoving its chest. I met dead air, the fabric of its robe waving like a curtain in the breeze. What the hell? It reminded me of a zombie, but it was much too alert and wispy to be one.

Suddenly, the creature pulled even harder, and pain skittered across my scalp. I fell down on the brick pathway with a cry and found myself being dragged. Scrabbling at the ground, I searched for loose sticks but came up empty-handed. When I managed to find a loose stone along the edge of the walkway, I seized it.

Miraculously, my aim found its mark with a solid thump. As I sat up, I watched the strange monster disappear into the mist near the back of the garden.

On shaky legs, I hobbled forward a few feet. My blood ran cold down my spine before warmth overtook me, my adrenaline crashing. The possibility of more monsters had me swiveling my head back and forth, watching for more assailants. Not knowing what could come next—something worse than whatever that thing had been, was almost worse than the attack itself. Sure, I’d managed to get away only a little bumped and bruised. But what about next time?

The sensible thing to do would have been to go back inside and hide out in my room, but this was forever, this strange afterlife. I had to learn how to deal with it one way or the other.

I kept to the cobblestone path and when I found a wrought-iron bench, I sat down, letting the sun warm my face while I tried to collect myself. One of the orange and red birds fussed at the flowers beside me, tilting a bloom. I moved my skirt out of the way just in time.

“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.” My hand stayed suspended over the red liquid on the edge of my seat as I watched Adrian stroll over to me.

A droplet splattered on the stone near my shoe. “Why not?”

He glanced to the side, tucking his hair behind his ear. I couldn’t help but admire how perfect it was. It was incredibly shiny and soft looking. “It could be poisonous. I’ve read that it reacts to certain DNA profiles, and you don’t find out until too late.”

Weird, when he enjoyed torturing me. And then I remembered that they wanted me alive, for now. “Thanks, I guess. It's pretty, in a morbid way.”

“Primal instinct in many living creatures, I think. Some are more in touch with it than others.” He leaned forward, steadying himself with one hand by my thigh while his other hand swiped up the liquid.

“To be attracted to blood?” Kiam drank my blood, though being a vampire, he couldn’t help it. I’d enjoyed every second of him sucking on my neck and couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of my taste. Did he like it?

Again, my finger moved towards the spot on the bench. There was barely a smear left after Leander tried to clean it. He grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on my lap.

“Your survival instinct is very low. It's a good thing Adrian and I are here to help you.”