Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
When we step out of the portal, Doris, the estate’s housekeeper, greets us in the hallway.
“Miss Emma, you are back, and you have brought friends.” Her voice is laden with distaste.
With a sniff, she tucks her dark hair behind her ear while looking me up and down.
A sly look enters her watery blue eyes. “We have moved you. The Master’s new favourite is now in your old suite of rooms… ”
In response, I beam a smile at her.
I’m sure Doris expects me to be rolling around the floor in floods of tears wailing, “Why me, why me. I love him.” When I don’t, she narrows her eyes and barks out, “Follow me.”
We all traipse behind her as she leads us to the back of the house. When we get to my new accommodations, I am a tad uncomfortable—when the demon said I was now at the bottom of his household, boy, he wasn’t kidding. Embarrassed, I wonder what my guards will make of this.
I shuffle my feet. God, I want to go back to the hospital, to my light and airy fishbowl.
This room is shit.
Gone is my airy suite of rooms and in their place is a Harry Potter–worthy cupboard under the stairs.
The door doesn’t open fully as it hits the bed—the room is big enough for the single bed, and that’s it.
It’s an empty storeroom with no window, so there isn’t any natural light, only a single, dangling light bulb.
In a house where there are dozens of empty bedrooms, this is indeed a statement. But it’s okay, it’s totally fine. I can work with it.
“Cosy,” I say with a smile.
“I got some of your essentials,” Doris says, indicating with a nod the small cardboard box and single pathetic black bin-bag dumped in the middle of the thin, sagging mattress.
“Huh, how nice. It appears I have my own Homer hole,” I say with amusement as I pay homage to my favourite animated TV program.
I grin at the sagging mattress. “Thank you, Doris, this is perfect, and thank you, it was very kind of you to rescue my things.” Doris humphs crossly.
She folds her arms underneath her boobs and glares.
Ha, what can I say? I’m an irritating people-pleaser. Sorry, Doris, I’m still not at the point of throwing myself to the floor and wailing.
I can’t help the grin that tugs at my lips.
If I had the energy to do a happy dance, I would.
It’s a relief, such a relief, to no longer hold the title of the demon’s pet.
I guess I shouldn’t be thrilled that Arlo has relegated me to some lowly position and that I have to sleep in a storeroom, but until this moment, I didn’t realise how much I wanted out of my opulent cage.
I never saw being his favourite as a grand prize.
I can’t help a full-body shudder. Wow, what a lucky escape.
Everything happens for a reason.
“The bathroom is upstairs…on the third floor,” Doris continues snidely.
Riddick growls at her, and she jumps a little.
I grin at him. “Did I say the third floor? I meant third door…it’s up the corridor.
” Doris gives me an embarrassed nod, hands the key to the room over to Eleanor, and quickly scampers away.
I pat Riddick on the head—good boy—as I shake my head in bemusement at her retreating form.
I’ve lived in this house for over seventeen years; it’s like she has forgotten I know every inch of the place.
I clap, then smile at my two guards. Conversationally I say, “Did I tell you I have horses?”
When we arrive at the stables—which are directly behind the main house, so it isn’t too far for me to walk—the first thing I notice is the silence.
The rain has stopped and the sun is shining through the heavy grey clouds.
Instinctively I know something is wrong…
it’s just too damn quiet. As soon as I spot the empty, cleaned-out stables, my legs buckle.
A big furry body stops me from falling to the ground. Riddick props me up.
All the horses. Gone. The horses are gone.
Gone, gone, gone echoes around in my head.
They have cleaned the building out. It’s empty.
Overwhelming panic fills me and for a few minutes, I can’t think.
Useless. I’m utterly powerless. “Bob…I have to find him,” I whisper brokenly through a solid lump in my throat.
My heart is slamming, my gut is twisting, and I can’t stop shaking.
My vision goes hazy. “I have to find my best friend, I can’t lose him.
Pudding, I didn’t have time to check on him, I fell and I didn’t have time to see if he was okay.
Oh, God.” Eleanor’s eyes meet mine, and they shine with concern.
Check the field.
I rush towards the fields. The wooden post-and-rail horse paddocks are empty. The surrounding silence is deafening.
For several minutes I stand staring in utter disbelief. What do I do? I rub my temples.
What do I do? No. No. No. Bob…my Bob.
My horses are gone, Bob and Pudding are gone.
This, this finishes off what is left of my soul. I don’t want to be here anymore. This world is too much. Everything is too much. My mouth contorts in grief, and I cover my eyes with my hands.
Riddick huffs out a breath and gently nudges me. Without thinking, I drop one of my hands and dig my fingers into his fur to ground me. The giant hellhound offers me comfort.
“What are you sniffling about?” comes a familiar voice.
I drop my hand from my face and lift my head to meet the blue eyes of a vampire girl.
She narrows her eyes, assessing me with her hands on her narrow hips.
She looks almost homeless, wearing dirty jogging bottoms and a red strappy top, her brown hair scraped up into a messy bun at the top of her head.
It has clumps of hay sticking out of it.
“Sam,” I mumble, “the horses are gone…” I wave my hand, pointing out the obvious.
“Yeah, they were all sold within a few weeks. You really pissed that demon turd off. I’m sorry, Em…
Pudding, that spooky shithead, was sold for crazy money.
He is so talented, there was a bidding war over him.
He has gone to Germany. I couldn’t afford to buy him…
” I nod sadly, hurt that I never got to say goodbye.
“…Not after I bought your hairy cob.” I blink at her.
“You bought…Bob?” I whisper in disbelief.
“Of course I did. You owe me fourteen and a half thousand pounds. Who knew Bob was worth so much? Contrary to popular belief, vampires aren’t made of money, you know.
” She smiles at Eleanor. “I’m only eighty.
Horses took over my human life, and the passion followed me into my undead one.
Creatures like me will never be rich if we have horses. The fuckers cost a pretty penny—”
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou.” I rush towards her, instantly snapping out of my melancholy.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t hug me.” She holds out her hands to keep me away.
“I don’t want bashing with that poo bag.
God, Em, I thought you’d been in the hospital.
They let you out looking like that? You look like shit.
” She puts her hand at the side of her mouth and says to Eleanor, “Pun intended.” Eleanor looks horrified and Riddick growls.
I giggle and smile so big, my cheeks hurt.
Only a genuine friend would take the mick out of someone that has a stoma. I love this girl.
“I love you, Sam, and I’ve missed you. Would you mind if we went to see my horse?”
“I can’t believe it’s taken you so long to ask.
He’s in a shitty stable.” She grins and wiggles her eyebrows at the word shitty.
“So don’t get mad, I had to hide him somewhere.
I bought him a Shetland pony as a companion.
I know how much you like them.” I roll my eyes.
Sam knows the little ponies are a nightmare to deal with, scary waist-high monsters.
I bet poor Bob has been terrorised. I’m convinced that the Devil himself created Shetlands and then went out of his way to make them extra feisty.
Sam grabs me and gives me a fierce hug. “Don’t you dare pull that shit again.
I have been worried sick. Sick. What were you thinking?
” She gives me a little shake. “You bloody idiot. I’m so glad that you’re okay.
Whatever you need, I’m here for you—don’t forget that.
I charge for tough love, though, and sniffling all over me will cost extra.
” We all follow Sam as she leads the way.
I’m so tired, I feel sick. I lean more and more against the hellhound.
There is a whinny, and Bob’s head appears over the ramshackle stable door.
“Bob,” I shout, and he whinnies again. I rush to open the stable door.
It sticks halfway and Sam has to tug it open for me.
My hands shake as I step inside the stable.
With wide tear-filled eyes, I take in my boy. He looks great.
“Bob, I thought for one horrible moment that I lost you. God, I have missed you so much.” Bob avoids my reaching hand with a head toss.
He flares his nostrils at me and narrows his eyes.
He gives me an angry look, as if he has just realised something.
He wrinkles his nose. Then, almost knocking me over, he swings away from me to face the back corner of the stable.
“Bob?” I say, feeling a little hurt as he presents his hairy bum to me.
He peeks over his shoulder and then turns his face back to the corner with a horsey huff.
“Bob…are you…urm…cross with me?” I whisper.
His ears flick back as he listens to my voice.
“I didn’t leave you on purpose. I’m so sorry, I have missed you so much.
I promise I will do my best to never be away from you for so long again.
I’m so sorry, Bob-cob…forgive me?” Bob huffs out a sigh.
I step to his side and scratch his blue-grey dappled bottom.
He wiggles it, deliberately moving my hand to a different prime scratching spot.
Once he has deemed my bum-itching time adequate, with a grumble he turns back around.
Bob’s warm brown eyes take me in. He stretches his neck and blows warm breath at me.
He slowly moves so his heavy head rests on my shoulder.
I ignore the nagging voice in my head to be careful.
I run my hands gently across his soft muzzle and rub the base of his ears.
Bob huffs hay breath at me and his eyes close in contentment.
“God, I have missed you. I have missed you so much.” With a sob, I move forward, throw my arms around his neck, and bury my face in his long silver mane.
I breathe him in. “Now I feel like I’ve come home,” I whisper.