Chapter 30
THIRTY
I was reading in the library when I heard yelling in the foyer. I looked up from my book into the hallway when I saw Imalda running by. Curious, I set the book down and peeked out of the doorway toward the entrance.
Draven had mentioned earlier that morning that he needed to attend to some work; he was likely in his room.
Despite my curiosity about his quarters, he had yet to show them to me, insisting that he wanted to tidy up first. According to him, his room was cluttered with books and papers from years of research, and he wanted to ensure everything was in order before I saw it.
He did not want me touching things and misplacing them.
I walked down the hallway, keeping my feet soft on the floor, careful not to make any noises.
Everything in me told me to stay in the library as the nonsensical yelling continued from the foyer.
As I turned the corner, I saw Imalda trying to close the front door on an older man.
He had a large mustache, and his clothing appeared as if he had dressed in the dark—half the buttons were mismatched, and some were left undone.
“Sir, please leave,” Imalda said to the man as she continued to push at the door.
“Let me through, woman!” he shouted, shoving the door open with such force that Imalda fell backward onto the floor. I hurried to her side, helping her up.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
The man was yelling and stumbling around the foyer, his feet catching on the carpet. He was clearly drunk.
“Draven! I know you are here!”
“Please, sir, leave at once. If you wish to see Draven, I will have him schedule an appointment with you for another time,” Imalda told the man.
“Silence, you foolish woman!” he hissed, spit clinging to his mustache as he spoke. “Draven! Wake up and turn me, God dammit!” he screamed up the stairs.
Anger welled up inside of me. “You cannot speak to Imalda that way! Who are you?” I asked him.
But he started making his way to the stairs, stumbling up the first step.
I ran over to him and reached for his arm, not wanting him to travel farther inside the house. He pushed my arm away with more strength than I expected, given his state.
“Please, sir, get out of my house this instant!” I shouted.
He stopped and turned around to face me. “Your house? This is not your house.” He continued to yell, “Draven, come out!”
I ran up the stairs and stood in front of him, trying to block his way. “Who are you?”
“My name is Martin Montgomery,” he slurred, his words tumbling out unevenly.
So, this was Dr. Montgomery, the man who had been collaborating with Draven to assist him with his illness.
I recalled a Martin from the ball who had been vying for Draven’s attention that evening.
It dawned on me why he was here—Draven had confided in me about his dissatisfaction with how their relationship had ended.
“Draven is busy at the moment, Dr. Montgomery. I can tell him you have come by,” I offered.
He looked at me through his glassy eyes, and his gaze fell on my hand holding the railing.
He pushed my shoulders, and the unexpected movement made me fall over, landing on the stairs.
He crawled on top of me, pinning my arms above my head.
I could hear Imalda screaming as the stairs dug into my back beneath me.
“What is this?” he asked, holding onto my wrist. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. He took my hand and brought it close to his face, twisting it around to get a better angle in the light. My silver wedding ring shone, and I could feel the moisture from his mouth spraying as he spoke.
“A wedding ring,” I said quietly, feeling my heart beating wildly in my chest. I was afraid to move, not wanting him to hurt me further.
“A wedding ring?” He laughed in my face and pinned my arm back against the stairs as he did, so I struggled to break free. He pushed harder, and I tried to scream, but he took his other hand and forcefully held it against my throat, squeezing hard, cutting off my air.
“I can feel your heartbeat,” Dr. Montgomery sneered, “Human girl, what did Draven have to do to you to get you to marry him? Did he lie to you as well? Tell you he would turn you and give you anything just so you could warm his bed at night like a whore?”
I bucked my hips beneath him, and his balance faltered due to the alcohol. For a moment, he loosened his grip on my throat, and I took that chance to scream.
“DRAVEN!”
Dr. Montgomery slapped me. “Silence!” he demanded.
The skin on my cheek burned, but I was distracted by what he said.
“What did you mean by turn me?” I asked, though part of me was afraid I already knew the answer.
“Draven said he would turn me into a Blood Hunter, but that bastard left after years of me trying to help him. He used me to find a way to walk in the sun. Years of my life I spent researching and serving him for nothing,” he fumed.
“How could he do such a thing? Draven is no Blood Hunter.” As the words escaped my lips, they seemed to echo, as if spoken by another. I didn’t feel like I was in my own body anymore as Dr. Montgomery peered down at me.
“You stupid girl. Married a monster without even knowing it.”
“I think you are mistaken. Draven told me. He has a disease.”
“Draven is the disease. He is a Blood Hunter.”
I felt like I was back in the river, drowning, my body was cold with sweat.
“Perhaps I can give Draven some incentive to turn me,” he said, eyeing me up and down, then stroking a hand along my cheek. “You believe Draven loves you? Let’s see if he comes to save his lovely human—”
I didn’t see him appear until he ripped Dr. Montgomery off my body and threw him across the room. Draven, as fast as lightning, was next to Dr. Montgomery again, and with almost impossible strength, held him by his throat, his feet dangling, and pushed him against the wall.
“Do not ever touch my wife again,” Draven growled into his face. His untamed hair obscured his features, but even from where I sat, I could see the glint of his fangs, now fully visible, protruding from his mouth.
Horror washed over me as I stared at Draven. The man I thought I loved had lied to me. He kept a secret from and all I could do was sit there in shock as Draven, a monster, threw Dr. Montgomery across the room once more.
Dr. Montgomery remained on the ground for a moment, struggling to rise, but in an instant, Draven was by his side again, his hands gripping the collar of the doctor’s disheveled shirt.
“Get out of my house. Now,” Draven ordered, his voice stern and commanding. Towering over Dr. Montgomery, Draven’s presence filled the room like a dark cloud.
Dr. Montgomery scrambled to his feet and bolted out the front door, not daring to glance back in my direction. As Draven slammed the door shut behind him, I could not hold back the sob that escaped my throat, and I saw Draven tense at the sound.
My Draven. My Husband. My Saviour … was a Blood Hunter.
With his back still facing me, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to tame it, and he turned around. I must have looked like a scared child to him, curled in a ball on the stairs.
“Rosalia?” Draven moved slowly toward me as if I were a feral animal.
“Stay away from me,” I told him, curling my legs closer to my body. I could not look at him. My heart felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces.
“Rosalia, I do not want this,” he said, motioning to his body. “I have never wanted this.”
“You lied to me!” I spat at him.
“Do you think I want to be like this? I do not want to live in the shadows every day. I want to feel the warmth of the sun again and meeting you—you are the closest thing I have to feeling the sun. Please allow me to explain.”
“I … I think I made a terrible mistake.” I did not look back at him as I ran up the stairs into my room, locking it behind me. I took a chair and pushed it under the handle. I ran and threw myself onto the bed, crying into the sheets.
The sheets smelled like him. I stripped them from the bed and then lay back down on the bare mattress. Memories of the past few months swirled in my mind: how I had never seen Draven eat a full meal, how he avoided the sunlight. How could I have been so blind?
My heart was broken as I realized that I let myself fall in love with a monster. I married the creature that killed my family.
I cried myself to sleep.
October 16, 1891
I summoned the strength to rise from my bed when I heard Imalda’s gentle voice at the door.
“Rosalia?” she inquired softly, her concern evident in her tone. “Are you all right?”
Pushing the chair aside, I hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the door. Imalda stood before me, a tray of steaming soup and a pot of tea in her hands. Without a word, I gestured for her to come in, closing the door behind her.
Taking a seat on the edge of my bed, Imalda placed the tray of food on a nearby table. I turned to face her, “Did you know?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes, dear,” she replied quietly, meeting my gaze with understanding.
“Why did you not tell me?” I pressed, the weight of betrayal heavy in my words.
Imalda sighed softly, her expression compassionate. “I assumed you were aware,” she explained gently. “It is hard to believe you had not realized after all this time.”
“Then why are you here? Are you not afraid?” I questioned, searching for some semblance of clarity in the chaos of my thoughts.
“I used to be afraid, like the other maids, but I have come to trust Draven. He has never harmed any of us, and I know when to keep my distance.”
“Why do you not leave?” I asked.
“For the same reason the doctor came, and why most mortals befriend Blood Hunters. I thought you were here for the same reason.”
“You are a Blood Hunter?”
“No, not yet, but I would like to be. Thus, we serve our master in the hopes one day he shall grant us the gift of his transformation.”
Her words sent a shiver down my spine. “Why would anyone want that?” I tried not to recoil from her.
“To attain immortality, to be ageless, and to be strong,” she answered candidly.
“But what about the killing and blood?”
“Draven is different from most Blood Hunters I have encountered. He has never harmed us. Killing does not have to be a part of being a Blood Hunter. And blood is food.”
I stared at her, struggling to accept her words. To me, the idea of willingly becoming a monster was unfathomable.
Imalda paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful as she carefully considered her response.
“While I may have known about Draven’s …
condition, I also know that he loves you deeply.
I have known Draven for many years, and I have witnessed the manner in which he regards you, the way he speaks of you.
Despite all that has transpired, I truly believe he would never wish you harm. ”
“But how am I to trust him now?” I whispered.
Imalda reached out and placed a comforting hand on mine. “Trust takes time, dear, and sometimes it requires forgiveness as well. Only you can decide if Draven deserves that trust.”
“Thank you, Imalda.”
She offered me a reassuring smile before rising from the bed. “I shall leave you to your lunch,” she said. “If ever you find yourself in need of a friend, I shall be here.”
Alone in my room, I sat with the weight of revelation heavy on my heart. Draven, the man I had married, was not the person I thought he was. He wasn’t even a person. He was a Blood Hunter.
Questions raced through my mind like frantic whispers. Had Draven married me as part of some sinister plan? Was I merely a pawn in his game?
Taking a deep breath, I lifted the mattress, my heart pounding as I searched for my father’s journal. Nestled beside it lay my dagger. I raised it to the light, and the blade gleamed, reflecting the flickering glow of the candles that surrounded me. I twisted it in my hand, lost in thought.
Draven was a hunter. A predator. And I knew that if I fled, he would be able to track me down. In my room, a single, chilling thought surfaced.
I had to kill my husband.