Chapter Seven.
Phoe
Q uietly, I stood as Drake undressed me with tender movements. I could hear the murmurs coming from the bedroom and was relieved that other people were present. My mind raced, trying to absorb what had occurred.
Drake looked pained as he examined the stab marks from those claws in my waist. “Does it hurt, baby?” he murmured.
I nodded, unable to reply.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Drake asked. He sat me on the toilet as he turned the shower on. Drake left his hand under the water until he was sure it was warm, and then helped me in. Slowly, Drake began washing me, taking care around my wounds.
In a halting voice, I explained what I’d seen and what had attacked me. Drake didn’t scoff or try to reason with me. He listened patiently until I finished and then rinsed the blood from my hair and wrapped me in a towel. As I stepped out of the shower, Drake began drying me.
The love and care with which he handled me brought tears to my eyes. Drake was upset because he’d not been with me. Whatever the hell was in this house had waited until one of us was alone.
“Baby, I’m so sorry I left your side,” Drake murmured, holding me close.
“Nobody expected something like that.”
My mind was having trouble connecting what had happened to me with reality. Things like these events were scenes in movies—or horror books. Not real life.
Drake helped me into some thick pyjamas and wrapped my dressing gown around me. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“Phoe, I was fuckin’ frightened. Your screams ran through me like ice, and I couldn’t reach you,” Drake admitted. Drake’s eyes held memories of the previous time I’d been hurt. The difference was that time, he’d driven me away, and this time, he’d been forcefully kept away.
Drake let me cling to him as I absorbed his strength. The fear was still balled up inside my stomach, and I felt weak. Drake picked me up and carried me into the bedroom and placed me under the covers that Clio hastily yanked back.
“The fire won’t restart,” Chance murmured, and Drake nodded. Rosie scrambled up in her own nightwear and climbed into bed as I smiled weakly.
“Anyone who needs a shower, get it now,” Drake said.
“Would you mind?” Sabine asked.
“Be our guest,” I replied and leaned my head on Rosie’s shoulder. Family was exactly what I needed right now.
Inglorious
I was carrying the mattress downstairs with Drake when we heard the first noise. Ignoring it because old houses made noises, we carried on.
“Death awaits,” a voice floated through the air.
The hair on the back of my neck and arms stood up.
“Fuck you!” Drake declared loudly, breaking through my fear. Amused, I chuckled as we continued down the stairs. Vladimir and Daniel were following, and I heard their laughter too. We’d left everyone in the sitting room to move furniture for the mattresses.
Drake was still shaken by what had happened to Phoe and needed to stay busy.
I did too; seeing Phoe hurt had been upsetting, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that.
She was one of the most genuine people I knew, and it was a travesty to harm her.
Everyone was on edge. Several wished to know where Jacques and Eden were hiding.
Our mysterious hosts were completely absent, yet they should have come running ages ago.
A part of me wondered if they were behind this shit. If they were, we’d make them pay. Nobody hit out at one of us and walked away.
“She will die. They all will die,” the voice taunted, and we swivelled our heads looking for the owner.
“As I said. Fuck you, asshole,” Drake spat back. “Wanna be a man and face me or be a coward and hide?”
A low, spine-chilling laugh rang out.
“Flesh and bones can be ground to a pulp,” the voice replied, and I shivered at the malice in it.
Usually, I wasn’t naturally spooked, but this place was doing a number on my nerves.
It was also playing havoc with my self-control.
Not that I wanted a drink; more like I needed to punch the hell out of somebody.
Somehow, through sheer willpower, I’d swapped my alcohol addiction for Nanci.
Nanci was a much healthier and more fun option than a bottle of whiskey.
We carried the mattresses in and placed the bedding on top of a sofa before heading back upstairs. As I followed at the rear, someone pushed me hard, and I fell forward into Vladimir, who caught me and looked over my shoulder. His eyes widened, and I twisted my neck and wished I hadn’t.
A dark shape flew up the stairs, and I yelled, “Run!”
Drake turned and gaped as Daniel shoved him into motion. Our boots thundered along the hallway as we headed for the next bedroom, which happened to be mine. We slammed the door as we entered and stood staring as something barrelled into it.
“Where’s Daniel?” Drake hissed, and I finally noticed the man was missing. Shit. We swapped wide-eyed glances as my gut sank. How the hell had we lost him?
Daniel
We raced along the hallway with me in front.
I headed for my room and suddenly heard a door slam.
I twisted and saw that the others had disappeared.
Damn! I slowed my pace, intending to go back when the shadow appeared.
Two red glowing eyes gleamed as I sank into the shadows and held my breath.
The creature attacked the door, making it shudder in its frame.
At first, I’d thought it was an indistinguishable blob. Now I realised it had the shape of a hunchbacked male. In hate, he battered at the door before turning his head ninety degrees to stare at my hiding place. The eyes glowed brighter, and he began moving towards me.
In fear, I raced off. There was no denying what he had done to Phoe, and I didn’t want to be his next meal.
A cackle of laughter surrounded me as I raced along hallways, knowing he was on my heels. I was the prey and was being successfully hunted. Lost, I turned a corner and hit a dead end. Spinning to retrace my steps with fear flooding me, I discovered my escape route was blocked.
“Suck the marrow from your bones,” the creature gloated as he came closer.
Wildly, I looked around and spotted a rapier hanging on the wall. I grabbed it and lunged forward, stabbing into the darkness.
To my horror, the rapier pierced straight through as the body parted like smoke, and as I drew back, the shadow pounced. Out of my comfort zone, I backed away.
Hands gripped my throat. Scared, I fought to remove them, but mine passed through his like he was vapour. But his grip left no doubt he was real.
“Your flesh makes my flesh.”
Did he mean? Did he mean to eat me so he could take my body and merge with his?
Oh, hell no. Determined to live, I struggled, but there was nothing to fight against. His face lowered, and his mouth opened.
Jagged teeth gleamed dully in the faint light coming through a window, and a tree crashed against the glass, adding to my fear.
Lips closed over mine and sucked; something deep inside me responded.
He was sucking my soul out! Anxiously, I punched and kicked, making contact with nothing as my soul fought to stay within me. Decay and dampness overwhelmed my senses, and I knew the stench came from him. Nausea welled alongside grief. Nobody knew where I was, and I was going to die a second time.
Sabine and our children sprang into my mind, and I shoved back hard. Maybe I couldn’t physically fight it off, but spiritually I could. Stubbornly, I gathered my faith and held strong as the mouth once more sucked at mine. My soul jerked again, and something inside me moved.
No, this was my life, my soul; it couldn’t have me.
A silent battle raged, but I was beginning to lose. I was mortal with a human’s strength; this was pure evil and paranormal. He would win eventually. Still, I refused to give up.
An annoyed sound bounced off the walls, and I was picked up and thrown against the wall. My head hit hard, and I slowly slid down into a heap.
The shadow grabbed hold and slammed my head into the floor, and he climbed up my body.
“Your sacrifice is welcomed.”
He covered my mouth again and sucked harder than before.
Stunned, I was unable to put up the same struggle, and something loosened deep inside.
Desperately, I sought the connection with Oakwood Manor, needing my home’s strength to battle this evil, but the bond was blocked.
Oakwood’s distress faintly reached me, but the link wouldn’t snap into place.
I started struggling for breath as my lungs seemed to shrink.
Weakly, I bucked against the creature pinning me down, but achieved nothing.
Darkness began appearing at the corners of my eyes, and I guessed this was goodbye.
As much as I wished to fight, my strength had fled.
The darkness crept closer, my vision becoming narrower as the monster drank my life force in.
This feeling was familiar; I’d experienced it over three hundred years ago.
An idle thought surfaced: if this evil swallowed my soul, would I be able to return, or would that be it for me?
“Claudias!” a man bellowed. However, the voice seemed distant. My murderer was yanked away, and a woman appeared.
“Jacques, Daniel’s in a bad way!” she exclaimed.
“Help him, Eden, I’ve got Claudias,” Jacques cried. Footsteps pounded the floor, running.
“Daniel, everything’s okay. Rest now,” Eden said, and I smiled as she faded into oblivion.
Jacques
Midnight was approaching fast. Claudias was upping his actions, and he needed those mortals below dead.
Without them, we’d quickly tear him apart and end his sorry existence.
Their presence meant I couldn’t smash through walls like I would have done.
They had to be protected, which limited me.
But at the end of the day, should it become necessary, I’d sacrifice them in order to ensure evil didn’t live again.
Determined, I chased after Claudias, a mere blur in a mortal’s eye.