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“Is that your mother, Thomas?” I purred. He nodded, bringing his smokey gray eyes back to me.
“Yes, my lady, it is.” His voice broke.
“Mustn’t keep mummy waiting, love,” I replied. He flushed deep red, dragging his friend back up the aisle just as the lights began to lower.
The string section of the orchestra sounded their beginning tune and everyone quickly seated and a hush fell over the crowd.
The curtain pulled up.
***
As the woman on stage bowed, cheers roared to life, clapping and stomping deafening each of us. Some threw roses at her feet, others whistled. I clapped with tears running down my cheeks. It was beautiful, a tragedy that would hang over us for days to come. Slowly we all meandered out of the theater house, bobbing against one another as the congestion grew thicker. Near the exit, I caught his eye.
“Fuck!” I hissed, my body coiling under the stress of a threat, one beyond that of another vampyre, He stared at me for a second with wide eyes, quickly moving out of the building. I cursed again, pushing past the slow-moving humans. I needed to move fast if I had any hope of catching up to him. I only vaguely registered the complaints of the humans as I reached the cold night air.
He was gone.
The city was alight with the streetlamps but I did not recognize his shape amongst those on the pavement. Sniffing the air, I followed the lingering scent as fast as I could without drawing suspicion from the humans.
I needed to leave their vicinity so I could run without being noticed, that was the utmost importance. I began to look down alleyways, on this side of the street and the other, but still there was nothing but lingering scent.
The scent of home.
When I gazed once again on the other side of the street, a hand clamped over my mouth and an arm wrapped around my waist. I tried to scream at whomever had dragged me out of the light of the lamp into the damp and dark alleyway, but he was strong. I kicked at him, thrashing in his arms as his leg wrapped around my own to control me.
Standing there caged in, panting and trying to wriggle my way out of his grip, I bit his finger. It tore off his hand and he screamed as I spit it onto the ground. He bit into my shoulder, and I yelped under the burning pain.
“Settle down!” he growled, “I'm not here to hurt you.”
“What are you here for, then?” I gasped, still struggling.
“Jesus! If you stop, I will let go of you.”
Could I trust that? Would he use it as a moment of weakness and execute me? Taking a deep breath of the night air whirling with his scent, his scent of home and memories, I wondered if that would be such a terrible thing, theultima mortem. I stopped fighting, standing as still as possible.
His grip released and he snagged his finger from the ground, licking it to reattach it to his hand. I faced him, fixing my gown as I stared into the very same blue eyes as my own.
“Adam,” I greeted with cool indifference. On the inside I was screaming.
“It is good to see you, Rose. That dress is most becoming on you.” Adam’s jaw worked against some stressor. I could only stare at him, my brother. My brother who I’d thought was dead for so long, who had worked with my husband’s nemesis… my husband? “Are you alright?”
“Why?” I asked him, the sorrow threatening to break through the wall I’d built around it.
“You look as though you’ve seen a ghost. It feels we both have.” His brows plunged. “How are you alive?”
I stared for a moment in shock, taking in the sincerity of his tone. He genuinely seemed caught off guard, his eyes crazed. Had he really thought I died?
“William Changed me,” I said after loaded silence. Adam raised his eyebrows.
“When? Noel said she killed you after—that your heart wasn't beating anymore.” I saw the confusion clearly on his forehead.
“You were there. I saw you. Please do not feign ignorance with me, brother,” I bit out, channeling my hurt sadness into anger.
“I’d heard William approaching, she made me leave.”
“Did she make you sit there and watch your own sister be murdered? Or did you choose to do so idly?” I snapped, my belly burning with rage.
“I did what I had to do, Rose.” He threw his hands in the air in defeat. Did he feel any guilt at all for what he’d done? “I just cannot believe you’re here. She was quite adamant you were gone.”
