Page 41 of Blood Vows
I could barely see beyond a few feet, but then, through the veil of rain, a faint glow flickered in the distance.
A light.
Hope.
It was small, golden, trembling against the blackness like the flame of a single candle fighting the dark. I stumbled toward it, half running, half dragging myself through the mud and long grass that clung to my legs. My lungs burned with every breath, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would tear free.
When I finally reached the small stone cottage, I almost didn’t believe it was real. Its windows glowed with the same soft light I had seen from afar, and smoke curled faintly from the chimney, warm and homely against the cold night.
I climbed the steps and hesitated for only a moment before pounding on the door with trembling hands.
“Hello! Is anyone home!?” I cried, my voice nearly drowned by the storm.
“Please, it’s me, Vanessa. I need help, please!” The door opened a fraction, just enough for the dim light within to spill across the threshold. A single wary eye peered out before the door opened wider, revealing the older woman I had met at dinner. Her grey hair was tucked beneath a headscarf, her lined face pale and startled.
“Dear heavens,” she breathed, ushering me inside.
“Child, you’re soaked to the bone. What on earth are you doing out here?” I stumbled past her into the warmth, the fire crackling in the hearth, making the whole cottage glow with soft amber light. The smell of tea and baked bread clung to the air, and for a fleeting moment, it felt safe.
“I had to get out,” I said, my voice shaking.
“Something happened. I saw… I saw something in the east wing.”
Her face went white.
“You went in there?” Her voice sounded strained, borderline horrified. I nodded, my teeth chattering.
“I didn’t mean to. I heard something, someone… It sounded like…”
But before I could finish, she reached for my hands, gripping them tightly, her own trembling.
“Listen to me carefully,” she said, her voice low and fearful.
“You must never go near that place again. Do you understand?Never.”Her eyes darted to the door as if she expected him to appear at any moment.
“I didn’t know,” I whispered.
“I just wanted to help. There was a sound. A person…it sounded like…” I didn’t want to say it. But I knew. I knewwithout seeing it. The terrified scream. The moans of pain. And then the slurping sound. Oh God, that sound!
The sound of death by a Vampire.
At that, her expression broke, and something flickered in her eyes. Guilt. Or maybe sorrow.
“There is nothing in that part of the house but evil,” she admitted quietly, as if her working there had been more like selling her soul to the devil. A chill raced through me that had nothing to do with the storm outside.
“What do you mean by evil?” I asked, knowing her answer would only breathe life into my dark suspicions. But before she could answer, the sound of heavy footsteps thudded on the porch. Her hands dropped from mine. Her face drained of all colour.
“Oh no,”she whispered.
The door flew open, slamming against the wall.
And suddenly, there he was…the devil himself.
He filled the frame like a shadow come to life. Rain ran down his maskless face, his shirt plastered to his chest, and his dark hair dripped in wet strands that clung to the edges of his consumed face. Lightning flared behind him, outlining his form in white fire, and for a heartbeat, I thought the storm had conjured him.
Vasileios.
His housekeeper gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
