Chapter 35
Behind the hedge is a French-style garden, with paths weaving through more manicured hedges and flowerbeds full of red roses, all covered in snow. Beyond them I can see an arched greenhouse enclosure, so I rush towards it, struggling not to slip on the ice. I can hide in there.
I reach it and look around; there’s no door, and only three glass walls.
I step undercover and hide in the corner, listening.
I can hear footsteps, but I can’t tell if they’re coming towards me or moving away, so I just stand still and close my eyes, pushing my fingers against my ears.
Fear is heightening my senses; I can hear everything from the music in the manor to frogs croaking in the distance and it’s too much. I need to stay calm.
And then, in the darkness, muffled by my hands over my ears, I hear, ‘Aubrey, what are you doing?’
My eyes flick open and I get ready to make my excuses, but when my eyes focus, they’re not looking at Oscar.
It’s that other guy, Felix. The one with the curly blond hair and the greyish skin.
‘Does Oscar know you’re out here?’ he asks, coming towards me.
Great. Oscar sent him to spy on me.
‘I just needed some air,’ I say, smiling as I step towards him. ‘It’s a beautiful night and it’s lovely out here. But I was about to go back inside.’
I go to walk past him, to leave the greenhouse, but as I get to the threshold, he grabs onto my arm.
I turn to look at him; what’s he doing? There’s something in his eyes. Something I’ve seen in human males before. My insides recoil, and panic floods my veins. Then comes fear. Because I don’t know what he wants from me.
But I do know that he’s a vampire, like me, so if he hurts me, I can’t even kill him. Besides, he’s bigger than me; older and stronger, too, I suspect. I’m no match.
My gaze darts to the glass wall behind him and then to my left, to the path back through the hedges and back to the house. I pull my arm away with all my strength and fake a laugh. I don’t want to anger him. But he doesn’t let go; he tightens his grip.
‘Let go,’ I say, my voice high-pitched. I want to feel heat, I want to feel fury, anger. But all I feel is . . . terror.
And then he grins like he’s enjoying my fear, and I watch as his fangs emerge. What’s going on? He knows I’m a vampire, Oscar told him. He knows he can’t feed off me.
Oscar’s keys are still in my hand and I think of Es, of all the self-defence advice she’s dealt out, so I swipe at him with the keys.
I get his cheek, but it’s barely a scratch.
His eyes flame orange, like lava, and his pupils get huge, and I watch as the scratch heals instantly.
And then he grins at me again, like me fighting back is exciting him.
I go to scream, to run, but he lurches forward, so quickly that I don’t know what’s happening—whoosh.
He’s so fast and so strong, just like Oscar.
He covers my mouth with his hand and pulls me back into the greenhouse, yanking my head to the side.
He’s got me pinned; I can’t move. He leans forward and his fangs sink into my neck; a sting, an ache.
I have an impulse to hit, to scream, to kick, but then a dizziness comes over me, like he’s draining me of any power I might have. I’m stunned, unable to move.
All the fight leaves my body, and I go limp.
I can smell his hair—like rancid citrus, limes—and pine needles, and hear the music in the distance and why did I come out here?
My vision is getting blurry now, and I can feel tears dripping down my cheeks.
My hand droops by my side, my grip weakens, and the keys fall to the ground, landing with a muffled thud.
A sound rings out in the distance, some kind of loud bird call.
Felix hears it and pulls away, and through blurred vision I see blood—my blood—dripping from his chin, staining his shirt, and I want to run but I’m so weak.
He pushes me to the ground, rough and cold beneath me, then he’s lifting up the layers of my dress.
That bird call sounds again, closer now, and it feels like a bird of prey because he’s heavy on top of me and I can feel the freezing air on my bare legs, I can feel tears rolling down my temples towards my hair, towards the ground.
This horrible sense of the inevitable comes over me, like some kind of déjà vu—like I’ve been here before, even though I haven’t. I’m thinking: Just don’t make it worse. And then I’m thinking: Move! Do something! Why are you so weak? Why are you letting this happen?
There’s a flicker of movement, right behind him.
Followed by a loud and gruesome ripping sound.
His body falls heavy onto me, and it’s wet and hot near my face. He’s not moving. I roll him off and crawl away, glancing back frantically in case he’s coming after me.
But he’s not coming after me. He’s just lying there, and as I struggle to catch my breath and my vision clears I can see that yes, he’s lying there, but not all of him. Because there, right behind him, is Oscar.
And in his hand, he’s holding Felix’s head.