7. Cormac
Cormac
T hankfully, she didn’t insist on using the name I gave her because I hated it, but after her reaction to David’s story and the way her heart thudded in her chest at my mention of vampires, I would have to tread lightly. She knew something.
“Is it safe to light a fire in here?” Aurora’s voice reminded me of tinkling bells.
I looked around, seeing everything, even without the beam from her flashlight. “Yes, see, there is a scorched ring right there.”
She shined the light toward where my finger pointed before she alternated spotlighting me and the ring. She carefully pointed the light away from my eyes and not into them. “How did you even see it from over there?”
“I just did.” I tried to sound nonchalant, but I had a nagging voice in my head, wondering if I appeared angry. Nothing positive would come from telling her my brothers and I had lit fires there over a hundred years ago before my father had declared this space off-limits.
She pulled a long-burning fuel log and a lighter from her bag and held them out for me.
“Are you sure there is enough air?” she asked as I took them.
“There is a vent in the ceiling,” I said without looking up. “When the moon is right, the light will shine through and onto the center stone.” Was the moon why my parents had decided this room was sacred? I often wondered if my mother hadn’t been conferring with a witch for her entire life.
The light wavered as Aurora shivered. “Did you work as a guide here before?”
“My brothers and I used to spend a lot of time in these caves,” I answered as I flicked the lighter and set the flame on the log. I looked over at her. She put on a baggy gray sweater at some point, but it didn’t stop a tremor from going through her at inconsistent intervals. “Are you cold?”
The fire threw bits of light around the room. She gazed at our surroundings before she turned to me and nodded. “A bit, yes.” She flicked off the flashlight as the fire grew.
“Do you have a way to stabilize your ankle?”
She shook her head. “No. I will have to stay off it.”
My eyes darted around the room, looking for additional fuel but not locating any. “Can I at least help you get closer to the fire?”
She smiled, her eyes crinkling. “If you could just get my bag, I’ll crawl over?”
I nodded and wordlessly picked up the sack as she turned onto all fours and crept closer to the warmth. When she stopped, I placed her things beside her.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at me. The flames danced in her green eyes. “I feel horrible because I only have enough sleeping materials for one. We can split them up. The tent for me and a sleeping bag for you? It seems we’ll be stuck here for a while.”
I shook my head. “You keep them. I’ll be fine if I even sleep at all. Do you have food for yourself?”
She reached into the bag and produced a small container. “Would you like some?”
“I had a huge lunch,” I lied. Unlike her, I didn’t need it to survive. She opened the container, showing a salad topped with tofu and fruit. She dug in her bag again and produced a fork.
The corners of her lips half curled. “I have everything except a way to get us out of here.” She picked up her phone. “Especially with no service.”
I smiled. It would be nothing for me to climb out of here, but it would need to wait until after she fell asleep. I would come back with a way for her to get out. “I’ll figure out how to get us out before the tours start in the morning, provided we have found whatever you’re looking for.”
She took a bite of her food and squinted her eyes before she swallowed. “How are you going to scale that wall?”
I shrugged. “Let me worry about it.”
“And I’m going to be healed enough to walk out?” She smirked.
“I’ll carry you if I need to.” I sat down across the fire from her, watching her eat. She sipped at her water, conserving it. I could spike her food with my blood to heal her, but that seemed wrong. “Why were you asking me if I believe David’s stories?”
“Why were you telling me about vampires?”
I took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to do nothing more than tell her everything, reveal who I was, and take my chances. I had never felt so compelled before.
She leaned forward, her necklaces reaching toward her food, including the one carefully tucked between her breasts. It can’t be! My mouth went dry. It had been almost a hundred and fifty years since I last saw the lynx—the Coven of the Blood symbol. The coven my aunts had formed when my father turned, whose descendants we visited in 1855 before we ran from them several years later in terror. The coven I feared the Charleston witches had gone to for help.
I tried to swallow. Why were we here together? Perhaps it was a fluke, simply a coincidence that she wore it—a thrift store purchase she didn’t understand. I needed to know for sure.
“That’s quite a unique necklace you have there.” I pointed at the silver disc now lying on her chest.
She looked down at it and slid it into her sweater. “Family heirloom,” she said, not raising her eyes to meet mine.
I was so drawn to her—so attracted. Aurora concentrated on her food while I stared at the top of her head. It made even less sense and became even more concerning. She was a member of the Coven of the Blood, and not just any member. One day, she would be the High Priestess. There was no way she knew about the Cure, so why was she here?
“Do you want to tell me about it?” I struggled to keep my voice even and soothing.
“You really believe in the paranormal?”
I nodded. “More than I could ever tell you.”