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Chapter One
Adrian
“What is that noise?” Lilith elbowed me in bed unapologetically.
I woke up from a half-slumber, stirred by both her voice as well as the not so gentle nudge. The soft night light in our chamber painted the walls in a soft amber hue, casting a warm, yellow glow over the room, so it was easy to see the outlines of the furniture. Her voice filled with concern, reached my ears instantly, and I tried to blink away any remnants of sleep to focus on her.
“I heard it again,” she added, looking apprehensively at the door.
Even while still sleepy, I could see her clearly. I could see her long, honey golden hair spilling onto the pillow and faming her beautiful face. I could see the outlines of her curvy body underneath that blanket she covered herself with, which beckoned me to take it into my arms. I could smell that soft, lilac scent about her that had permeated her skin forever more. I would be able to find her anywhere just following the scent of her skin. I was sure of that. She was mine and I would find her anywhere. There was nowhere in the world anyone could hide her away from me.
The look of apprehension in her eyes brought me back to the present moment. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes and nodding to her words. My senses slowly started to sharpen, as my mind strained to capture a glimpse of that sound that Lilith was pointing me to. I didn’t hear anything. However, I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t believe her.
I wanted to stay in this warm bed and wrap her into my arms, breathing in her scent until we were both asleep again. I didn’t want to go anywhere away from her. It’s just that the castle had its own symphony at night. There were so many sounds and noises which, if given a dark context, could be misinterpreted as something ghoulish or criminal. There were creaking floors. There were sounds that resembled whispers, which were nothing but wind in the old pipes. I listened intently for something out of the ordinary, but there was nothing.
Still, I knew her well. I knew that she would not be able to fall asleep again unless I went to check it out. I turned to her and kissed her on the forehead. She felt slightly sweaty. Maybe she was more frightened than I gave her credit for. But taking into account everything that happened years ago, it was only normal that she would still have occasional nightmares. Fortunately, they had diminished, but trauma rarely healed fully.
“Stay here,” I murmured softly, offering her a reassuring smile as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My bare feet pressed against the cold sensation of the stone floor, which helped wake me fully.
Walking to the window, I pulled back the curtains to peer outside. The moon bathed the courtyard below in a silvery glow, illuminating the castle’s grandeur. The garden stretched out as far as the eye could see. My gaze swept the area, searching for any signs of disturbance that might have caught Lilith’s attention. I couldn’t see anything, but I knew that this wouldn’t be enough.
“I’ll go outside and see what it could be,” I told her, getting up and putting on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of house pants. The last thing I wanted to do was walk out of the castle and into the garden naked, then have one of the servants or even Lilith’s father stumble onto me in one of the darkened hallways.
Still with that relentless desire to just turn around and go back to sleep by pulling her close to me, I fight off the urge to do so.
“Be careful,” she replied, as I headed towards the door. I could hear the concern in her voice, dripping uncontrollably. That reminded me why I was doing this. It wasn’t because of me, but rather because of her. I promised to keep her safe, even if that meant investigating perfectly plausible noises in the darkness, that could have been easily explained. If she needed me to check it out, I would do so.
I nodded to her before leaving the room, stepping into the softly illuminated hallway beyond. My footsteps echoed as I moved through the castle’s passages, senses on high alert as I tuned in to every sound. The night carried a weight of secrets, and I couldn’t help but feel a connection to the mysteries hidden within its darkness. How could I not? As a vampire, the night and the darkness had always drawn me to them, but I managed to resist their call. I have chosen my side, and this was where I would remain.
I thought I would be questioning my choice, but every time this happened, all I needed to do was take a look at my wife and I would be easily reassured that I had made the right choice. Some would call me a traitor, turning my back on my own kind. But I would call that choosing the side which valued ethics, the side that could differentiate between good and evil and make the right choice. Although I had been occasionally reminded of this by other vampires I met along the way, I knew that I had not made a mistake.
I walked through the hallways towards the main hall. Its interior awaited me like a dark embrace, bathed in moonlight that streamed through the tall windows. I paused, listening for that elusive noise that bade me get out of my comfortable bed, next to my beloved wife, that same noise that set this nightly journey in motion. I didn’t need to listen for too long. There it was, coming from somewhere outside.
I exited the main hall, stepping through the large wooden doors that led outside, feeling the chill of the night air on my skin. I didn’t hear anything now, but even the night time silence became an unsettling cacophony that made my skin prickle. It wasn’t a sound I could easily identify—a blend of rustling leaves, distant whispers, and an eerie, almost ethereal hum that seemed to vibrate in the air.
As I rounded a corner, my gaze was drawn to a cluster of gnarled trees, their branches twisted and reaching toward the sky like skeletal fingers. The noise seemed to emanate from this very spot, an unsettling symphony that sent a shiver down my spine. Something inside of me awakened, that animal which knew that darkness could hold frightening monsters in its midst. That animal was cautious now, bidding me to stay alert.
Just as I reached the center of the grove, the noise suddenly ceased, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake. The air felt heavy with an unspoken tension, and a feeling of being watched sent a shiver down my spine. I turned, scanning the garden for any signs of movement, but all I saw were the moonlit forms of trees and the ghostly silhouettes they cast.
And then, a whisper of movement caught my attention. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a fleeting figure darting between the trees. My pulse quickened, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through me as I followed the shadowy shape. That was the wrong thing to do. I knew that much, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Seconds later, I couldn’t see anything but the lurking shadows, wondering if any of them was the shadow I had been running after. A sudden chill ran down my spine, and my instincts screamed at me to turn and run. But before I could react, a figure emerged from the darkness, swift and silent. It was as if they had materialized out of thin air.
Before I could react, a sharp pain exploded in my side. I staggered, my breath catching in my throat as I realized I had been attacked. The figures were cloaked in darkness, their features obscured, and all I could feel was the searing pain and a desperate rush of adrenaline.
Instinct took over as I stumbled back. I felt like my hand was constantly punching empty air. I felt like there were millions of eyes around me, emerging from the darkened trees, shadows becoming people, branches becoming hands that kept me down and subdued. I fought back, each parry and strike an attempt to fend off the relentless assailants. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, sharpening my senses and heightening my reflexes. The pain in my side was a constant reminder of the danger I was facing. I had no idea what they wanted, but I knew it wasn’t good. I knew that I was the only obstacle between them and my family, all of whom slept soundly inside the castle I was trying to defend.
At that moment, a final strike landed on my head, with devastating strength. I immediately felt a sharp impact, an explosion of stars right before my eyes. The pain was so powerful that it numbed my entire body. My vision swayed, and the world started to swirl around me, while I struggled to keep my balance.
Darkness started to creep towards the edges of my consciousness, and I fought it, but with little success. I tried to move my hands, to defend myself with the little strength I had left, but it was impossible to do so. My limbs refused to obey me. My body was shutting down.
Little by little, I knew that I was slipping away. My surroundings were becoming a blur, as the moonlit garden and the castle behind it faded from view. There was no more noise, except for the sound of my own breathing. The figures had withdrawn back into the woods, or at least that was what it seemed to me. My consciousness fought hard to remain alert.
I tried to keep the image of my wife and daughter in my mind. I wanted their faces to be the last thing I saw, if this was my descent into inferno. I could have been better. I knew I should have been better. With such devastating notions of my own vulnerability, I succumbed to the abyss, losing myself in the unknown depths of darkness out of which I wasn’t sure I would ever surface again.
Chapter Two
Lilith
