The Ballad of Aramei by J. A. Redmerski

face to face with her, her emotions will flood your mind.”
    I look away too, recalling how this very thing happened the last time I visited her and how much I didn’t like it. “They will,” I say softly.
    I feel his eyes on me from the side. “Explain.”
    “When I saw her last,” I begin, “I think she tried to communicate with me then—no, I know she did.”
    “Yes,” Trajan says, still looking right at me which makes me all the more nervous, “Evangeline told me of your visit. That was the night in which my beloved began changing.”
    I feel his eyes move away from me finally and then I turn my head to see him.
    “Evangeline?” I say. “Is that Eva?”
    “Yes, Eva has been my most trusted caretaker for Aramei for many years. But she grows weary and I expect she will die soon.”
    My eyes widen a little as his strangely casual words catch me off-guard for a moment. But I can’t bring myself to say anything in response. Not sure what to say about something like that anyway.
    “Well then,” I say, “What do you expect of me ?”
    “Whatever you can give me,” he says looking directly into my eyes which sends shivers through my arms. “I expect you to tell me everything you see in her mind, everything no matter how insignificant it may appear to you. Do you understand?”
    The diminutive amount of confidence I had acquired over the course of our short conversation fades away in an instant with his demand. And I realize in this crucial moment that Trajan Mayfair, regardless of being Isaac’s father and regardless of needing my help to communicate with the love of his life, will never hold me in high enough regard to spare my life if I do anything to displease him. I know that our ‘conversations’ can never be mistaken for Trajan growing to care for me, or that he will ever see me as anything more than a tool to help give him what he needs more than anything. I can never let my guard down with him because the second I do, the second that I feel comfortable in his presence might be the time in which he turns on me and kills me.
    I turn away from him, unlocking our gaze and I stare out ahead through the windshield and watch the landscape fly by.
    When we finally arrive at the cabin, I’m as anxious as ever to get out of the vehicle and away from Trajan. The last thirty minutes of the drive he spent scanning the pages of a thick, old notebook, jotting down things that I assume had something to do with business and his leadership. Maybe it was about conquering packs and killing off rogue bloodlines. I don’t know, but seeing as how it’s Trajan Mayfair, I know he wasn’t writing poetry.
    I step out of the Escalade and at first I’m afraid my head will be engulfed by Aramei’s emotions, but I sense nothing. The soft wind funneling through the surrounding trees is cool on my face. I hear the sounds of nature all around me and the familiar rushing of water crashing against the rocks in the nearby waterfall. It’s so peaceful here and I want to just stand here forever and bask in the comfort of it, but I know that in just moments there will be nothing comforting or quiet about my visit at all and I dread going inside.
    Raul, the big werewolf guard who is a friend of Isaac’s, stands watch at the foot of the steps leading up to the porch. He looks different in the daylight, his smile more radiant and trustworthy, but the second Trajan steps out of the vehicle moments after me, Raul straightens his back, gripping the handle of his sword at his side and his smiling face stiffens into something much more military.
    Trajan approaches and Raul and the other four guards standing nearby, all bow low at the waist and hold it for four seconds before rising back up into a straight position. Trajan doesn’t even look at them, but walks by them all without a word and slips inside the cabin. He leaves me standing out here among the guards, but I’m pretty sure he knows I’m not going to try running away or