Page 66 of The Vampire Curse

A thick clouds cover the sky, blotting out the stars and every bit of light from the moon. I blink and squint my eyes, but it’s useless. A dark shape moves against the shadowed grounds.

Miles away, the glow of gas lamps illuminates the main town of Windbury against the pitch-black sky.

Something draws my attention back to the yard—the snap of a twig, a rustle of leaves, a movement, a flash of light—I’m not sure. The blur that covers my vision seems to have also made my mind hazy. Wine and nerves are a terrible combination… but again, I can’t seem to remember drinking.

I should return to bed and sleep this off. It was probably a wine-induced nightmare. I pull back and close the window.

A whisper, no more than a breath of air, brushes against my ear. I whirl, but no one is there. The hall is dark, save for the light my small light gives off. The few candles that were lit must have been snuffed out by the breeze.

The manor is quiet. Unnaturally so with the number of night dwelling beings under one roof. My heart pounds as if I’m running, my breath quickening.

The temperature plummets quickly. I can’t seem to force my legs to move. My breath forms a white plume in the air with each exhale. I take a single step forward, then another, and another. Each one is slow, taking all of my concentration. I swing my arms to create more momentum, but it does little good.

I nearly stumble, catching my toe on… the floor? I can’t feel my legs. The cold has seeped bone deep, the pain changing from thousands of needles to finally numbing my skin and muscles.

I reach my empty hands out in front of me, wishing I had a light to guide me. I frown.

Something is off. I press the heel of my hand into my forehead. The harder I try to figure it out, the more it slips from my grasp.

Pressure squeezes my chest until each breath is a struggle.

Alaric, I have to find him.

No… I don’t need him.The thought feels strange and foreign. I grip the sides of my head with both hands.

The world shifts from under me, and I can’t breathe. I fall back, but it doesn’t hurt… it doesn’t feel like anything. There is no impact. I try to pull in a breath, but I can’t remember how to breathe.

Fire lances through my lungs.

I gasp and blink up into Alaric’s face. Water drips from his hair. A fat drop falls, trailing down his face, past furrowed brows, and down to the corner of his mouth pressed into a tight line. His shirt is plastered to his sculpted body. He’s soaking wet… something about that sends alarm though me.

I look around. We are standing in water almost as high as my neck. Trees stand black against the midnight sky like demons frozen in mid-motion.

“What are you doing, Clara?” he asks harshly.

I pull in a breath and press my hand to my head again—my pulse hammering against my skull.

Alaric wraps an arm around my lower back and lifts me up, sweeping me into his arms. We are out of the water in a few of his long strides.

“I don’t… know,” I trail off. I can’t remember why I came outside or when.I was just inside.“I can’t remember.”

Had I even woken up before Alaric touched me?

The furrow of his brow deepens.

He moves fast. The frigid night air stings against my exposed skin. We reach the manor in a blink. He kicks the door shut with his foot and strides through the halls, not caring about the water trail we leave.

Bounding up the stairs two at a time, he bypasses the second floor without a glance, and only when we reach his bedroom does he set me down.

“This isn’t my room,” I say dumbly.

Of course, he knows that. I just can’t seem to put my protest into words. Alaric guides me inside.

“I would feel better if you stayed with me. Your night terrors are getting worse.”

“I’m fine.” I grit my teeth to keep them from chattering.

His eyes narrow. “Clara, you ended up in the lake, you almost drowned.”