Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Pain, sharp and bright.

Erin squeezed her eyes closed, then opened them again as the ache in her head subsided. Where was she? She looked down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. Her crossed legs were covered with green silk that shone in the candlelight. She wore a dress, but none like she’d ever seen. It was full in the skirts and tight from her waist up. Her sleeves were nothing more than lace caps right at the tips of her collar bones. Her headache was probably because her hair was pulled too tight in the pins that were jabbing into her head. Baffled, she looked around. The room was dark, and the walls made of stone. It was dark, like a cave, and old-fashioned lanterns hung from the walls on rusty pegs. Above was a large, circular chandelier, but instead of lightbulbs, it housed hundreds of lit candles, dripping wax onto the large table beneath. And around that table stood tall, broad-shouldered men, talking low. They spoke in a language she shouldn’t understand, but did, and all of the men, warriors if their dress and manners were anything to go by, deferred to one man who stood closest to her, leaning over a set of maps. Arms locked and triceps bulging against the thin cotton cloth of his shirt.

“Amir, you know my answer already,” the man said, his voice pitched low and gravelly. “Marcus has urged a war for more than a century now, and we’ve always been able to avoid it. We’ll do it again.”

A Nordic-looking man slammed his open palm onto the table then gestured to her. “But if what the seer says is true, we’ll all burn in our beds if we don’t defend ourselves.”

“Even so,” the leader said in a more patient voice. “Even if she says the truth, we can’t risk our entire species by engaging with him. If the Blackwings get their war, half of the world could burn, and we would annihilate each other. There would be nothing left to protect, and our way of life would be through. We would be nothing but ash and dust. We move our females and offspring into hiding and try to negotiate.”

“You can’t put off the war forever,” the Nordic man said, his voice shaking in anger.

“If any of us want to live, I have to.”

Seven men filed out of the room, murmuring their discontent, while the dark-haired man in the middle stood still with his back to her. Muttering a curse, he sagged against his locked arms on the table and shook his head.

She loved him. She didn’t want him to hurt like this. She needed to touch him and reassure him everything would work out, just as it had for centuries. She stood and padded toward him, then reached her pale hand out to touch his shoulder. “My love?”

Erin gasped and sat up, then hunched into herself and grabbed her head to keep it from exploding. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, and she gripped her hair in desperation to find relief. Slamming her face into the pillow, she bit the material and screamed into it, her hoarse voice agonized and muffled.

As the stabbing sensation eased from her head and she could see and think clearly again, she sat up and drew her knees up to her chest like a shield to protect her from the awful feeling that had come from that dream.

She hadn’t been worried about the war, or the Blackwings, though the name alone had brought on chills. The only feeling that remained was a stark and empty yearning. She missed the man she’d almost touched so deeply her heart felt as if it was being ripped from her chest. She adored and pined for the man in her dreams, and she knew now she was losing her mind.

This was the first dream that had ever made sense, and that was exactly how Grandma’s madness had begun.

***

THE next morning, Erin was woken up by the two people she missed the most.

"You were right, Jake she really does sleeps like a log!"

"You should see her when she's had a hung over. Like a dead woman in the night." That was Jake speaking. They both chuckled silently, like they didn't know she was already awake.

"Hello, Miss vampy wifey" Feesh whispered.

"Feesh... You're awake!" Erin sprang up on her bed in a heartbeat. Feesh was finally awake. And Jake was standing beside her like her knight in shining armor.

Erin quickly moved to embrace the both of them tightly. Finally. Her friends were back to her.

"I'm so glad you both are okay. I've missed you so much." She murmured.

"We missed you too sis," Jake replied, kissing Erin's head. "Now tell me... Why did they bring you all the way from Julian's place.. To here?"

Erin sat up with a smile and stared at her beautiful younger brother. He was such a cute boy.

"This is actually Julian's quarters. He calls it his uh.. Cave. Sebastian, Julian's right hand man brought me here to.. To talk to Julian."

"Talk to him about what? The fact that our lives are in danger of rogues who want to kill us desperately?" Jake asked, annoyed. He looked like he wished to punch Julian in the face.

"Um.... It's.. He wants me to do something important for him." Erin replied silently. She didn't want to have to tell Jake that Julian wanted her to have his baby.

"I hope he's not asking to marry you. Because as much as he's rich, he is DANGEROUS, Erin. Dangerous to us. You see what happened to Feesh here, what if it happens to you?"

"Jake calm down, nothing will happen to me okay?" Erin said, holding her brother's hand.

Erin turned to Feesh and saw that she was giving her a look. Erin made a show of placing her hand in front of her stomach. "Baby" She mouthed once she saw that Jake was not paying attention to them.

"Wait. Julian wants you to have his baby???"

Erin gasped. So much for keeping this a secret from her brother.

"What!! That's not even possible! Erin right? Feesh is joking right?"

"No she's not. You guys.. Julian is more than just a vampire," Erin whispered. "He's a mystical being. A warlock."

"What does that even mean!" Jake exclaimed

"It means he's super powerful, Jake. And believe it or not, he's the only one that can keep Erin safe. Let's admit it." Feesh commented quietly.

Jake didn't say anything for a few moments before he nodded his head with a smile at Erin.

"I just want you to be safe, sis. I love you."

"And I love you too, Jake."

***