The House in the Woods

Chapter 19

It was the rain that was driving him incessantly mad, the rain that made the scowl on his face a permanent fixture. Rain in this forsaken excuse for a country was nothing like the rain in his home. He tossed his sopping hair out of his face and continued to glare at the glowing house in the distance.

Abaddon Ambrosia perched stock still in the highest branches of a tree, completely oblivious to the fact that he looked every bit a stereotypical vampire. He chose the tree strategically; it was far enough away that his son would be unaware of his constant presence, but it was close enough that he could keep the accursed house in sight.

How had that red head child found the house on her own? Whatever Abaddon thought of his son's architectectural tastes, the boy was wise enough to keep it far from prying eyes. With his unnatural beauty, he wouldn't last long among those piteous humans.

The rain slanted so it was now directly in Abaddon's face; the trees branches and fiery leaves did nothing to protect the vampire. He paid it no heed, however. His black eyes watched the house keenly, and for a second he thought he saw a glimmer of red hair illuminated in one of the windows. It disappeared immediately - the girl wasn't staying to ponder the weather.

Abaddon sighed irritably. He had to get to her, but how? Apollo watched the girl closer than an astronomer would his stars; getting the girl alone was practically impossible. And what with those meddling shifters, he would have to time his movements carefully. It was absolutely imminent that he get the girl alone - and he could not risk either Apollo or Astera being present.

He wrapped his cloak tighter around his throat, even though his ancient skin couldn't feel the cold. The girl walked passed the window again, and from where Abaddon was placed it looked mysteriously like she was looking right at him. He scoffed at the idea though - humans couldn't see anywhere near as far as he could. And he was right; the girl walked away again, and she didn't appear in the window for a long time after.

Soon, Abaddon thought broodingly to himself, very soon.

---

"Are you alright, Wei?"

Wei turned at the lovely girl's voice. Lilah was at the top of the stairs, looking down at her in genuine concern.

Wei smiled up at the other girl. "I'm fine Lilah, really."

"Okay." Lilah hesitated, a troubled look on her pale face. "I'm heading to bed soon, but I can stay up with you if you'd like."

"That's really not necessary, Little Red." Wei offered her best smile, and Lilah grinned in response at the pet name Sergei had given her.

"Alright, well... Goodnight then."

"Sweet dreams, Lilah."

Wei listened to her soft footsteps padding down the hall, then the soft click as her door fell into place. She sighed as she turned away to look back out the window. From her spot on the couch, her view outside was the dark sky and the even darker trees, and the rain that fell quietly and dutifully.

Wei felt her heart ache at the events of the day. Oh Francois, she thought miserably. You silly, proud man.

What made it worst was how Sergei and Lei were acting. They knew she loved him, and Wei knew that they cared for him too. It'd been everyone's thought that he would someday be a part of their strange little family; taking a place as Wei's husband.

Her heart gave a funny little jump, like it always did when she thought of him like that. She was a romantic down to her very core. When Francois came along, it was as if all her most private dreams had come true. Their love had been a fairy tale, a story with every flourish a little girl could dream of.