Breathe Under Water - Shadows of the Night 1

Chapter 25

Hi!

Here's the next chapter for you - edited and reread. We're finally leaving Heron's mansion. I'm already looking forward to posting the next chapter ( I already wrote most of it)... Oh, I love it, and I hope you will too. Anyway here's number 25 for you. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Lara

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Chapter 25

I killed the remaining hours with packing and a few weak attempts at sleeping. Against every law of nature the last hour before our departure flew. At about 7 a.m. somebody knocked on my door. I stilled. Could it be Alexander?

I fisted my hands at my sides reflexively, staring at the door with steeled determination. If the head vamp thought he could bat his undead eyelashes and make me open a vein for him just like that, let him. I would teach him better. I was here for one thing. Revenge. Nothing and no one would stand in my way.

Determined not to show any weakness in front of Alexander, I yanked the door open with what was probably a bit too much force. I found myself staring at Jake, who was looking at me with his usual fake-blank expression.

"You ready? I'm supposed to bring down your luggage."

"Yeah, uh, sure," I said, turning to pick up two of my bags. I handed them to him wordlessly, while I tackled the suitcase myself.

"Leave the suitcase in front of the door. I'll come and get it," he said.

"Okay," I said, swallowing whatever smart-aleck comment I had been about to contribute. Because just in that moment the door to Alexander's room had opened, and out he came.

Schooled nonchalance was a hard won state of appearance, but I was determined not to be a victim of the vampire's mind control anymore. Whatever game he was playing, I wasn't going to participate. I had a hunch I knew who was going to lose this one, big time.

Jake went out the door and I placed my suitcase in the corridor, as he had suggested. When I came back into the room, I found that the vampire was standing in front of the couch. I had the discomforting feeling that his eyes were on me.

"Have you packed everything?"

I wavered. I couldn't ignore him forever.

"Yes," I answered curtly and took a few paces towards my room.

"Little witch?" Obviously Alexander was in the mood to talk.

"What?" I barked out without looking at him.

"Anna."

Alexander's voice was fused with that special brand of power I'd gotten a taste of the night before. It made joints in my body go slack, stiffen up, and tingle allover – all in the same moment. My pulse began to accelerate, blood rushing faster and faster through my veins. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe in evenly without suffocating in a deep pond of ... yeah, of what? Fear? Hah! I wasn't that deluded!

He'd done it again. I willed my heart to slow down, reminding myself just what and who he was, welcoming memories I'd buried deep inside of me for years. Violence and blood.

Finally I opened my eyes again and turned around defiantly, ready to face him. There were some things even the head vampire of New York couldn't take away from me.

"What?" I said in a low, steady voice.

He stared back at me for a long moment. "Nothing," he replied softly.