Page 24

T he idea of meeting a sister from a previous life was insane. Isabel followed Sebastian through what felt like even more miles of tunnels, despite every logical cell in her body screaming that she was a certifiable idiot.

The passageway grew warmer and when they turned the corner, Isabel discovered why. They had arrived at the kitchens where a massive fireplace roared. Like something out of a medieval fantasy novel, a black cauldron bubbled over the fire while a woman in a black robe tossed things inside.

The woman turned around and her face lit up. “Aurora!” she exclaimed and wrapped Isabel in a rib-crushing hug. “It has been so long! So, so long! I wasn't sure this barnacle would ever bring you back home to the coven.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and returned to the chair he'd used earlier. “Don't break her in half, Josephine. And her name is Isabel, now. Isabel, this is Josephine. I doubt you remember her right now, but that's normal. You ladies behave while I'm gone, okay?”

Josephine released her grip and took a step back to give Isabel a once-over. “I suppose we can cause only minimal trouble,” she teased without taking her eyes off Isabel.

“I mean it, Josephine. The last thing I need is a reason for Victor to kick Isabel out.” Sebastian shot Josephine a severe look, and her grin faltered. “I'll be back as fast as I can. Keep her safe.”

Sebastian disappeared back into the hallway, leaving Isabel standing awkwardly in the middle of the doorway. “Come in and sit down! I don't have any food to offer you, but would you like a glass of water at least?”

Isabel nodded, her body reacting strongly to the mention of water. She unstuck her tongue from the roof of her mouth and swallowed hard. Josephine pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it at the large sink.

Meanwhile, Isabel took a moment to examine her surroundings.

The countertops were made of grey marble in a U-shape around the fireplace.

Two sinks stood across from each other, and drawers and cabinets lined the spaces above and below the counters.

Barstools stood along the entire outside of the U, and an island filled the inside of it.

“You have running water, but not electricity?” Isabel asked, her surprise overcoming her fear.

“Only to this room and the bath. We got tired of having to haul buckets of water down here, so Victor had some of the younger members of the coven learn plumbing. It took nearly a decade, but it was worth it. Nobody has managed to convince him that electricity would help the coven yet…”

Isabel accepted the water and drained the glass in one go. “A bath sounds amazing,” she said as she set it down. “I haven't gotten clean since I arrived in Italy. And I haven't had a real meal since…well, breakfast two days ago. I hope Sebastian brings back something better than a loaf of bread.”

“You haven't been fed or allowed to wash?

That's it. We're going to the bath right now. Do you have clean clothes?” Josephine's eyes sparked as she spoke, and Isabel nodded hesitantly.

“Okay, at least he wasn't dumb enough to drag you here without packing first. Though…

I suppose your things are in his room, aren't they?

And we don't have his key. I guess we'll have to make do with some of the coven robes. Will that be okay? Just until Sebastian gets back.”

“Yeah, that's fine. I'd fit in better that way, anyway.” She looked down at her dress, wrinkled from being slept in, and so bright compared to Josephine's robes.

“Okay. Let's go, then.” Josephine grabbed Isabel's hand and led her back into the labyrinth. She walked far more casually than Sebastian did everywhere they’d gone, which helped lower Isabel’s anxiety just a little. Rushing around like they were being chased by hellhounds got old fast.

“Is it normal for this place to be so empty?” Isabel asked as they came around yet another deserted corner. “Sebastian made it sound like I'd be having to stay in his room to avoid people, but I haven't even heard another footstep or anything.”

Josephine shook her head. “It's daytime. Most of the coven are sleeping after being out all night. We're a little backwards around here, but you'll get used to it.”

“How do you know it's daytime? I haven't seen a single clock or watch anywhere!”

“Because everyone is sleeping.” Josephine began to laugh, and after a moment of feeling dumb, Isabel joined her. She was struck by how familiar this scene felt, laughing with Josephine like a pair of school girls. Maybe they really had known each other before?

Isabel fell silent, her mind spinning. At this point, she felt like she'd seen enough that she should believe everything Sebastian told her, no matter how strange. But letting go of a lifetime of “magic only happens in fairy tales” wasn't easy.

Josephine must have noticed the shift in mood, because she softly placed her hand on Isabel's shoulder and smiled.

“Hey. This is probably all very overwhelming, isn't it?

I've seen you go through learning your past more than once, so I can promise everything will be okay.

It doesn't feel like it right now, but it will be.”

She sounded so genuine that Isabel couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

She wiped at them as covertly as she could, but didn't go unnoticed.

“Hey, hey. Don't cry, sister-of-mine! We'll get you clean and fed and you'll feel miles better.” Josephine gave her another hug and opened a door.

The air inside smacked them in the face with steam and lavender.

Through the foggy air, Isabel was able to see that the room had been entirely carved out of stone.

It stood about twenty feet by twenty feet, and the center of the room was a ten-by-ten pool.

Steam danced on the surface of the water like ice skaters dressed all in white.

The far wall contained shelves also carved into the stone, which held towels, robes, and soap.

Josephine practically skipped across the stone floor, gesturing to the water.

“Go ahead and get in! I'll grab robes and a towel for you.

There should be soap on the little ledge above the water, but let me know if it's all gone.”

Isabel stared at Josephine, realizing she was expected to undress and bathe with company. That might be normal in other countries…but not in the States. Yet the hot water looked so inviting, and she felt so gross. Screw it.

She quickly removed her clothes while Josephine had her back to the pool, and slipped inside. Slipped being the key word, as her foot shot out from under her and she tumbled head-first into the water.

A mouthful of hot water entered her lungs as she fell in the bath with her mouth wide open in surprise. Her forehead made sharp contact with the bottom of the pool, and as her vision grew dark, she thought she saw a twisted reflection of her face glaring at her from the surface.

Josephine spun around the moment she heard a squeak and a splash. “Aurora!” she screamed as the water became tinted red. She jumped into the water and pulled out the unconscious Isabel, and laid her out on the edge of the pool.

“No, no, no,” she muttered as she checked for signs of life. Finding no breathing, Josephine began giving CPR. She only got five compressions in before water shot from Isabel's mouth and she began to cough.

Josephine turned Isabel on her side as the coughing continued. “There we go. Get it all out, okay? You're going to be alright. Just get all that water out.”

When Isabel returned to consciousness, she found herself laying on the warm stone floor. She was covered by a towel and Josephine knelt by her side, eyes wide with concern.

“Oh, thank goodness you're awake,” she cried when Isabel's eyes opened. “What happened? I heard a sound and when I turned around, you were floating at the bottom of the pool!”

Isabel groaned and rolled to her side, covering her pounding head with her arms. “I was getting in and my foot slipped. But I think I saw the shadow again just before I passed out. I feel awful. So tired and my head hurts so bad…”

She pulled her arms away from her head for a moment and found them covered in blood. Terror filled her stomach as she realized she was laying completely naked in a hive full of vampires, bleeding everywhere. Even if she had the strength to run, she would have no idea which direction to go.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Josephine assured her, shifting the towel to more fully cover Isabel. “This is going to be really strange, but do you trust me? I can make the bleeding stop and heal your body. But you have to trust me for a minute.”

Isabel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

“What real choice do I have? If you, Sebastian, and the others have bad intentions, I’m already so deep that there’s nothing I can do.

Just do whatever you have to do.” She waited a moment for her throat to be ripped open or something, only to open her eyes and see Josephine watching her with sadness.

“We aren’t going to hurt you. I swear it.

I’m going to bite your wrist, but it will only hurt for a moment.

My venom will heal your body. Most vampires have minor healing in their saliva to cover over the wounds they make when feeding, but for some reason my venom contains the healing compounds instead of the compound that knocks out our prey.

None of which probably makes you feel any better… ”

“Not really,” Isabel admitted. “But at least you warned me you're about to bite, even if you're lying.” She held out her blood-covered wrist with a wry, pained smile. “It's even pre-seasoned for you.”

The statement was so ridiculous that Josephine began to laugh. “I'm not taking any of your blood, baby girl. But I suppose a little ‘seasoning’ is a bonus.”

Josephine took Isabel's arm in both hands. “Here we go. You can close your eyes if you need to.” She brought her lips to the thin skin of Isabel's wrist, and Isabel pinched her eyes shut.

Isabel felt a pain like two bee stings, then a warm sensation began traveling up her vein.

The heat was so distinct that she felt it travel all the way up her arm, across her chest, and into her heart.

The next pump, her whole body went fuzzy.

Her forehead began to tingle and the headache began to fade.

Josephine licked the shallow puncture marks and they immediately disappeared. Her tongue tickled Isabel's skin, causing her arms to erupt into gooseflesh.

Within sixty seconds, the pain was gone.

Isabel sat up and stared at her wrist, mystified that she could find no sign of the bite.

“Okay, yes, that was definitely weird. Especially when you licked me…was that entirely necessary? I know you’re a vampire and all, but licking the blood off my arm? That’s gross.”

“I wasn’t licking the blood off,” Josephine laughed.

“I was healing the entry wounds. My venom still has anticoagulant, and my saliva counteracts it. It’s weird, I know.

But after this many centuries, I just accept it.

Let’s get you cleaned up and back to the kitchen before Sebastian gets back, yeah?

He’s going to freak out if he can’t find us. ”

Isabel stared dubiously at the water, but the blood all over was beginning to dry and itch.

“Yeah, I better wash up so I’m not walking the halls like a chicken wing covered in buffalo sauce.

” She shifted her body so her feet were in the water and carefully scooted her butt over the edge so there would be no repeat diving performances.

The water felt good as she dunked herself and scrubbed three days of life from her body.

The soap was rough, as if it had sand or salt in it, and left her skin very soft.

While Isabel washed, Josephine sat at the edge of the bath with her feet dangling in the water.

It took a bit of getting used to, but eventually Isabel relaxed.

“So…when were we sisters? Assuming that’s true? ”

Josephine smiled softly and brushed the surface of the water with her toes.

“You were born in 1215. I was 5 at the time. Sebastian showed up on your 18th birthday and tried to steal you away from me. But you only agreed to join (well, rejoin) the coven if I could come with you. You always were a feisty one! But I secretly thought being a vampire would be cool, so I was okay with it. My knowledge of herbal medicines was useful to the coven, so Victor was willing to Turn me.”

“This Victor guy seems pretty focused on things that ‘help the coven.’”

“It’s definitely easier to convince him to agree to things if you can show him how it helps the whole family,” Josephine agreed.

“I don’t know how Sebastian has presented him, but Victor is a good man.

Being the master vampire comes with a lot of stress and sometimes requires making hard decisions.

He and Sebastian haven’t seen eye to eye in centuries, but the fact that he finally brought you back here is a really good sign.

” She stood and shook the water from her toes. “Almost ready to get out?”

Isabel nodded and waded to the edge of the pool where stairs had been carved into the edge.

She accepted the rough towel from Josephine and dried herself quickly.

The air outside the water felt cold, and she began to shiver.

Josephine handed her a robe, which was surprisingly heavy.

It felt like it was made of wool and lined with silk.

It felt strange to put it on without any undergarments, but she figured she could get clean underthings from her bag after she ate.

Once Isabel was dressed, Josephine gave her a look-over and her eyes grew soft. “You really look like a member of the family, now,” she said softly. “Maybe this time Sebastian will finally be successful in Turning you, if you still want to be.”

Isabel recoiled at the thought. “Why would I want that? That sounds terrible!”

Josephine’s shoulders lowered slightly and she suddenly seemed very interested in getting packed up. “I suppose you’re right. We should hurry. Sebastian might be back by now.”