She turned the other direction, desperately scanning each face. “Where are you?” Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry!”
No one answered or even looked at her. It was as though she were invisible to the world. Oh God, I’ve really lost him this time . She continued scanning the square for his face, whirling around to see if she’d somehow missed him walking past.
A lute and fiddle played themselves in the center of the square, their merry music echoing off the large rim of the ancient fountain. Ghostly memories of people happily clapping and dancing in time to that music crawled up Charlotte’s spine as she choked on the dry air in her throat. There was nothing but deathly silence from the surrounding patrons now. She wrapped her sweater-clad arms around her shoulders, her breath forming mist in front of her face.
Charlotte cried his name once more before catching sight of the mystified expression on the face of one of the Phasers, who gazed upward like the rest of the crowd. Charlotte finally turned to see what had captivated all of them so—what had driven them out of the square, and what had caused all of them to become so enraptured.
She saw it then. Dawn , coming like the opposing army, relentlessly invading over the rooftops. It blasted its way through, striking a cannon’s hole in the midnight surface. No .
“No!” Her flesh started to tighten around her bones. She looked down at her palms. One of her fate lines, carved deep through the middle of her hand, had begun to disappear in the coming morning light. Her skin started to gray. “No! Valek! I’m so sorry! Please! Where are you? Valek!”
More tears poured down her face as she sprinted off in the direction of her house. She could see it just beyond the crowd and the rooftops of the inns and taverns. It stood there faithfully, as always. Safe. Constant. Unchanging. The lights were on. Valek must be inside.
She ran harder and faster, her own breath heavy in her ears, her lungs burning. The shock of her feet meeting the ground with each step reverberated up her leg and hit her hip and knee like a lightning strike. The pain was more than she could bear, but she kept on. She could not leave Valek there. Not when dawn was coming to claim them. It was her fault, for what she had become. That was why he wouldn’t come when she called him. That must have been it. He was angry with her.
Charlotte burst through the front door. Despite the pale lights glimmering from the salon and kitchen, the house took on a dark and dead quality. It looked empty, abandoned, and panic set in until she sensed Valek was in his bedroom. She choked out the breath she’d been holding and bolted for the staircase and down the dusty hall, her lungs on fire. Possibly from exhaustion—possibly from the impending sunrise. “Valek!”
She shoved through the carved double doors to his master bedroom. “Valek, we have to leave! They are coming for us! Valek—” Charlotte stopped in a cold sweat when she saw there were two figures in the room before her.
In the dim light that peeked through the black bed curtains, Charlotte saw Valek belly up on his bed, a graceful-looking female looming over his body. A golden wedding band glinted off her slender ring finger that stroked the side of his face affectionately. Her brown hair twirled down to the middle of her shoulder blades against the perfect ivory of her skin. She was beautiful. Delicate. Human.
Bile rose in the back of Charlotte’s throat.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said to her gently, his horrid monster’s claw trailing down her pure, naked spine. The sudden recollection of the story Valek had told once in Francis’ basement, of his long-deceased, mortal wife, came flooding back to Charlotte. She gripped fistfuls of her hair in knots. But how could this be possible?
“No!” Charlotte howled until her chest felt like it would explode into a thousand pieces. “Valek! No! It’s a trap!
No one answered or even looked at her. It was as though she were invisible to the world. Oh God, I’ve really lost him this time . She continued scanning the square for his face, whirling around to see if she’d somehow missed him walking past.
A lute and fiddle played themselves in the center of the square, their merry music echoing off the large rim of the ancient fountain. Ghostly memories of people happily clapping and dancing in time to that music crawled up Charlotte’s spine as she choked on the dry air in her throat. There was nothing but deathly silence from the surrounding patrons now. She wrapped her sweater-clad arms around her shoulders, her breath forming mist in front of her face.
Charlotte cried his name once more before catching sight of the mystified expression on the face of one of the Phasers, who gazed upward like the rest of the crowd. Charlotte finally turned to see what had captivated all of them so—what had driven them out of the square, and what had caused all of them to become so enraptured.
She saw it then. Dawn , coming like the opposing army, relentlessly invading over the rooftops. It blasted its way through, striking a cannon’s hole in the midnight surface. No .
“No!” Her flesh started to tighten around her bones. She looked down at her palms. One of her fate lines, carved deep through the middle of her hand, had begun to disappear in the coming morning light. Her skin started to gray. “No! Valek! I’m so sorry! Please! Where are you? Valek!”
More tears poured down her face as she sprinted off in the direction of her house. She could see it just beyond the crowd and the rooftops of the inns and taverns. It stood there faithfully, as always. Safe. Constant. Unchanging. The lights were on. Valek must be inside.
She ran harder and faster, her own breath heavy in her ears, her lungs burning. The shock of her feet meeting the ground with each step reverberated up her leg and hit her hip and knee like a lightning strike. The pain was more than she could bear, but she kept on. She could not leave Valek there. Not when dawn was coming to claim them. It was her fault, for what she had become. That was why he wouldn’t come when she called him. That must have been it. He was angry with her.
Charlotte burst through the front door. Despite the pale lights glimmering from the salon and kitchen, the house took on a dark and dead quality. It looked empty, abandoned, and panic set in until she sensed Valek was in his bedroom. She choked out the breath she’d been holding and bolted for the staircase and down the dusty hall, her lungs on fire. Possibly from exhaustion—possibly from the impending sunrise. “Valek!”
She shoved through the carved double doors to his master bedroom. “Valek, we have to leave! They are coming for us! Valek—” Charlotte stopped in a cold sweat when she saw there were two figures in the room before her.
In the dim light that peeked through the black bed curtains, Charlotte saw Valek belly up on his bed, a graceful-looking female looming over his body. A golden wedding band glinted off her slender ring finger that stroked the side of his face affectionately. Her brown hair twirled down to the middle of her shoulder blades against the perfect ivory of her skin. She was beautiful. Delicate. Human.
Bile rose in the back of Charlotte’s throat.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said to her gently, his horrid monster’s claw trailing down her pure, naked spine. The sudden recollection of the story Valek had told once in Francis’ basement, of his long-deceased, mortal wife, came flooding back to Charlotte. She gripped fistfuls of her hair in knots. But how could this be possible?
“No!” Charlotte howled until her chest felt like it would explode into a thousand pieces. “Valek! No! It’s a trap!
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