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I felt her hand on my shoulder, and it immediately relaxed my body. “I am not your enemy,” she whispered. “I will stand by your side against the whole world if I have to. Just… promise me you’ll think about it, okay? That’s all I ask.”
My mind lingered on her words for a few moments, then I nodded. I could do that much. “All right,” I told her. “I will think about it.”
“Thank you,” she smiled, standing on her toes to kiss me on the forehead. “I will go put some fresh flowers on Cass’ grave site.”
“Will you take Cass with you?” Sometimes, it was strange to talk of two Cass’, with one being dead and the other alive.
“No,” she shook her head. “I think there has been enough death in her life for a while. Maybe soon, but not now.”
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. “Should I watch her?”
“Could you?” she smiled.
“Of course,” I beamed. I welcomed the distraction of my sweet little daughter and her funny stories. “As long as she doesn’t make me wear the pink hat again for the tea party, I’m fine.”
“You know that the pink hat is a must,” she chuckled, and I had to join in.
“Unfortunately,” I pretended to sigh, which made her laugh again.
“I’ll bring her shortly,” she told me, then slowly walked out of the room, leaving me alone.
I promised I would think about her suggestion, but the truth was, I thought we would never seek the witch again. Now, it seemed that everything I had thought true was proving to be wrong.
Chapter Six
Lilith
I made my way to the tranquil spot in the kingdom where my beloved sister Cass lay at rest. This was a serene, secluded corner of a well-tended garden within the castle grounds. The tombstone that marked Cass’ final resting place was small and ornate, made of polished marble. It gleamed softly in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the surrounding trees.
The tombstone bore Cass’ name, and its surface held a heartfelt inscription that spoke of her joyful spirit and the love she had brought into our lives. I had chosen it carefully to honor her memory. Around the grave, there lay a colorful array of wildflowers and delicate petals, scattered like tokens of love. They were a symbol of the vibrant, spirited child that Cass had been. To me, they seemed to whisper stories of laughter and the shared moments we had once cherished.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees, creating a soothing, melodic backdrop to the peaceful scene. The air was filled with the fragrance of the garden, and the warmth of the sun touched the tombstone like a gentle, comforting hand.
I knelt down, with a heart filled with love, as I placed a vibrant bouquet of fresh flowers on her grave. The flowers, a mixture of brilliant reds, sunny yellows and delicate purples formed a radiant tribute to her spirit. Their petals whispered a silent promise to keep her memory alive, and the blossoms seemed to dance with the memories of our shared moments.
“I miss you so much, you know that?” I said out loud as I always did when I came here. A part of me actually believed that she could hear my words even from beyond the veil of this world. “The world just isn’t the same without you. It is a different place without your laughter, your warmth and your spirit.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I continued. “I think about all the moments we should have shared, the laughter we should have enjoyed, and the secrets we should have whispered to each other. Your absence is a constant reminder of the love we had, and I’ll cherish it for as long as I live.”
It seemed that I was more emotional than I originally thought. A breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees, and I felt almost as if it carried a whispered response from my sister.
“I don’t know what to do,” I told her, admitting a moment of helplessness. “That scroll is so confusing. I don’t know why Father kept it and didn’t tell us about it.”
I inhaled deeply, refusing to allow this feeling of despair to wash over me. There were so many things I couldn’t comprehend, but I was determined to find out the truth. I knew that Adrian wanted to know; he was merely afraid. It was a rare occasion to see my husband afraid. He’d always been my protector, my vampire warrior.
Many times, people told me I should be wary of him, but I couldn’t imagine such a feeling. A vampire is always a vampire, no matter what side he chooses. Those were the words I heard many times, and yet, I didn’t believe them. My love had always been stronger than any seed of doubt they wanted to plant in my mind and heart.
Yes, it was true that vampires had always been known as our enemies. They attacked our villages, our kingdom. They took prisoners, they pillaged, they killed our own. But at the same time, there were vampires who chose our side, vampires who had willingly refused to accept the darkness that exists in all of us, and they chose to fight the good fight.
However, that was an inner struggle I, as a human, would probably never be able to understand. That pull of the night, of the animal inside. I had no animal to keep under control. Adrian did. He made sure never to allow me to see that animal, unless it was to protect me. There had only been a handful of times when he relinquished his human side in favor of the animal, and it had always protected us. It kept us safe. Now, I wondered if he was afraid of it, more than before.
The knowledge that he could be in some way related to Constantine probably stirred unwanted thoughts and feelings inside of him. I was certain that he wanted to find out the truth, but I couldn’t understand why he refused to come with me to see the witch.
The witch. Even after all this time, it was strange to say her name. Lorna. It’s not a witchy name at all. She laughed when I told her that the first time she revealed her name. Although a different witch betrayed us at a time when we trusted her, Lorna proved to be our true friend. Well, she was my friend when I needed her, when I couldn’t understand why my husband was acting differently towards me. She helped me find out the truth, that the creature I had in my marital bed was not my husband at all, but rather his doppelganger, while my husband was kidnapped by none other than Constantine, who could have killed him a million times during Adrian’s captivity. Yet, he didn’t. That had to mean something. Maybe he knew the truth, but he didn’t want to tell Adrian yet.
“I wish you were here to hear me out, to help me,” I whispered to Cass again.
The wind started to blow a little harder, and I pulled my sweater closer, buttoning it up. I decided it was time to head back to the castle. As I made my way back, my heart still heavy with the emotions stirred by my visit to Cass’ grave as well as the mysterious scroll, I noticed a sight that took me by surprise.
