Page 26
Story: Ache For Her
He made his way for the door which had an array of emergency warnings on it about not opening the door while the train was moving. I held back on his arm. “What are you doing?”
“We’re getting off here.”
“What?” I cried. “We’re not even at the station. We can’t get off here.”
He forced my head to look out the window. “See those bluffs? That’s where the compound is.”
My stomach dropped. He had to be joking. “Simon—?”
Without any warning, he threw the door open. A siren wailed. In one instant, my feet were firmly on the train, and in the next, they were suspended in the air. I curled into Simon who’d picked me up right as the ground came up quick to meet us. I winced, waiting for the impact, but it was smooth. So smooth I hadn’t even realized we were on the ground until I looked around and saw the trees flying past us as if Simon and I were a train all ourselves. I looked out, finding the train tracks in the distance now.
“Don’t look,” Simon chastised. “I heard it’s not fun for you humans.”
Whatever we were doing, he was right. I clutched at his shirt, burying my face into it. “What are you doing?”
“Running,” he said.
“Running?” My heart beat like mad in my chest. “It feels like we’re back on the train.”
His hand came up to rub my back, which immediately soothed my apprehension. It was such a sweet gesture, so unlike the Simon he pretended to be.
“How long until we get there?”
“Another half hour or so. Rest, Delilah.”
I couldn’t. I thought about what lay ahead for me. We were going to Galen, his oldest friend. His friend who had the feeders he and Simon lived off. I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what Simon was taking me here for. Part of me rebelled against it. There was something else that made me turn away from that idea, too. The way Simon didn’t want the train worker to touch me. The way he’d just rubbed my back to take my worries away. For being such a feral predator, he had other instincts too.
If I thought about it, could I really blame him for wanting to kill my grandfather? He took his mother, the only family he had, away from him. He left him alone, and lonely, and scared. Just as I felt right now. I thought he’d cared for me, but he obviously didn’t. He made no motion to try to save me.
I just couldn’t accept that though. My grandfather had saved me from being an orphan after my parents’ death. That didn’t sound like someone who just wouldn’t care that something had happened to me. Sure, he may not have been there for me emotionally, but he was always there for me in every other way. I had everything I always wanted. That should count for something, right? Maybe Grandpa was working out the logistics to come get me, and now we were running away from Philly all together. Maybe Simon had figured that out, and that was why we came here….
No. I didn’t believe that. I didn’t want to believe it either.
Too many questions, and not enough answers.
By the time I’d thought through everything, and then continued to think it through another four more times, Simon finally slowed. His breaths were labored, the first time I’d ever seen anything affect him. He kept me in his arms, snuggled there like a cocoon until I started to wriggle free. I wanted to face everything that was here headfirst. I didn’t want to be blindsided by it.
He gripped me harder. “I’m just trying to get you used to the sudden drop in motion. Wait a second.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid. Here I had thoughts of vamps jumping from the bushes at me when he was just trying to help me.
He dropped me on my feet anyway, and I turned. A monstrosity of a house was directly in front of me. My mouth dropped as I looked up at it. My family was rich, but even our house wasn’t as grand as this. And this was antique, too, as if everything had an intrinsic value as well as a monetary one.
Simon grabbed my arm and marched me up the stairs. He pushed the door open. Inside was just as antique looking. It was as if we were in a medieval castle with all the beautiful wooden furnishings.
Terror ripped through me as a figure lunged at us.
Simon shielded me. “Oh, calm down.”
The woman jerked to a stop. She had blonde hair and a fierce look. “Master Simon? I didn’t know you were returning today.” She stood straight, holding her hands behind her back.
A door opened in the corner of the room, bouncing off the wall with a deafening boom as it echoed. A man emerged. Tall, cut, dark and dangerous looking. I shrank into Simon, not that his look was much different, but the threat you knew was better than the one you didn’t.
“Simon,” the man said, smiling.
Simon dropped his head into a bit of a nod. “Sire.”
My eyes widened. This must be Galen, the one who saved him from his life without a mother.
“We’re getting off here.”
“What?” I cried. “We’re not even at the station. We can’t get off here.”
He forced my head to look out the window. “See those bluffs? That’s where the compound is.”
My stomach dropped. He had to be joking. “Simon—?”
Without any warning, he threw the door open. A siren wailed. In one instant, my feet were firmly on the train, and in the next, they were suspended in the air. I curled into Simon who’d picked me up right as the ground came up quick to meet us. I winced, waiting for the impact, but it was smooth. So smooth I hadn’t even realized we were on the ground until I looked around and saw the trees flying past us as if Simon and I were a train all ourselves. I looked out, finding the train tracks in the distance now.
“Don’t look,” Simon chastised. “I heard it’s not fun for you humans.”
Whatever we were doing, he was right. I clutched at his shirt, burying my face into it. “What are you doing?”
“Running,” he said.
“Running?” My heart beat like mad in my chest. “It feels like we’re back on the train.”
His hand came up to rub my back, which immediately soothed my apprehension. It was such a sweet gesture, so unlike the Simon he pretended to be.
“How long until we get there?”
“Another half hour or so. Rest, Delilah.”
I couldn’t. I thought about what lay ahead for me. We were going to Galen, his oldest friend. His friend who had the feeders he and Simon lived off. I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what Simon was taking me here for. Part of me rebelled against it. There was something else that made me turn away from that idea, too. The way Simon didn’t want the train worker to touch me. The way he’d just rubbed my back to take my worries away. For being such a feral predator, he had other instincts too.
If I thought about it, could I really blame him for wanting to kill my grandfather? He took his mother, the only family he had, away from him. He left him alone, and lonely, and scared. Just as I felt right now. I thought he’d cared for me, but he obviously didn’t. He made no motion to try to save me.
I just couldn’t accept that though. My grandfather had saved me from being an orphan after my parents’ death. That didn’t sound like someone who just wouldn’t care that something had happened to me. Sure, he may not have been there for me emotionally, but he was always there for me in every other way. I had everything I always wanted. That should count for something, right? Maybe Grandpa was working out the logistics to come get me, and now we were running away from Philly all together. Maybe Simon had figured that out, and that was why we came here….
No. I didn’t believe that. I didn’t want to believe it either.
Too many questions, and not enough answers.
By the time I’d thought through everything, and then continued to think it through another four more times, Simon finally slowed. His breaths were labored, the first time I’d ever seen anything affect him. He kept me in his arms, snuggled there like a cocoon until I started to wriggle free. I wanted to face everything that was here headfirst. I didn’t want to be blindsided by it.
He gripped me harder. “I’m just trying to get you used to the sudden drop in motion. Wait a second.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid. Here I had thoughts of vamps jumping from the bushes at me when he was just trying to help me.
He dropped me on my feet anyway, and I turned. A monstrosity of a house was directly in front of me. My mouth dropped as I looked up at it. My family was rich, but even our house wasn’t as grand as this. And this was antique, too, as if everything had an intrinsic value as well as a monetary one.
Simon grabbed my arm and marched me up the stairs. He pushed the door open. Inside was just as antique looking. It was as if we were in a medieval castle with all the beautiful wooden furnishings.
Terror ripped through me as a figure lunged at us.
Simon shielded me. “Oh, calm down.”
The woman jerked to a stop. She had blonde hair and a fierce look. “Master Simon? I didn’t know you were returning today.” She stood straight, holding her hands behind her back.
A door opened in the corner of the room, bouncing off the wall with a deafening boom as it echoed. A man emerged. Tall, cut, dark and dangerous looking. I shrank into Simon, not that his look was much different, but the threat you knew was better than the one you didn’t.
“Simon,” the man said, smiling.
Simon dropped his head into a bit of a nod. “Sire.”
My eyes widened. This must be Galen, the one who saved him from his life without a mother.