Charlotte

Chapter Twenty-One

Ice chilled in my veins where blood was supposed to be flowing as I moved as quickly as I could through the house. I couldn't hear my dad's thunderous footsteps, but I could feel him getting closer to me. It was that weird sort of pull I'd felt in the mall. The one that had led me straight to him. My blood was booming in my ears, my eyes darting all over the place as I hid in an empty room, peeking out through the doorway. I could hear Rose screaming and cursing somewhere downstairs. They were here with me, but the place was crawling with Strigoi. One of them had sniffed me out the moment I'd left my own prison, but I knew they wouldn't hurt me. 

I knew because my dad had practically screeched at them to leave me alone, and even in my adrenaline induced deafness, I couldn't ignore the sound. His voice had sounded like breaking glass, and in my mind, his face had turned monstrous with extra-long, jagged teeth. I shivered, feeling my heart beating out of my chest and my brain working in overtime to figure out what to do. I gulped, peeking out from the doorway to glance up and down the hallway and toward the stairs. There was a male Strigoi with blonde hair and red rims around his blue eyes stalking up the stairs. His fingers were curled into half fists, long, black fingernails promising to rip my throat out if he saw me. 

Erik stepped in front of the door right as I was about to dart out again, and I screamed as he grabbed me, pulling me out into the hall with him. I kicked, swinging my stake at him, and he hissed again as it sliced through his wrist, and he dropped me. I shoved it in his thigh, making him scream as the Strigoi that was coming up the stairs ran at me, baring his fangs and reaching for me. I managed to duck out of his grasp as my father fell to the dusty, blood-stained carpet. In my panic, I felt that golden thread of magic warming my core, and just like earlier today, I greedily yanked on it, summoning it to my hands as I slammed my hands into the Strigoi's chest. 

White gold light exploded from my hands, singing his shirt and making him fall away from me, burn marks in the shape of my hands on his chest, melting the material to his flesh. The sickly-sweet stench of fried pork greeted my nostrils, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I evaded him and practically threw myself down the stairs. 

"Rose!" I yelled. "ROSE!"  

 The bottom floor had a large saltwater tank, and antique claw foot furniture that I would have admired if the situation were different. There was a big fireplace decorated with crossed swords, and a really stupid painting that only consisted of two lines hanging on the walls. I passed all of it, opting instead for a narrow staircase that led down underneath the house. 

"ROSE!" I called again as I descended the stairs. It wasn't like a normal basement. Instead of just one large room used for storage or lounging in for teenagers smoking pot and complaining about their parents, it was sectioned off into more hallways and closed doors. My vision felt like it was elongating and then shortening, like I had vertigo, but I could see a glow around me, saving me from the shadows and lighting up my immediate area. Otherwise, it was dark down here, and I could feel the presents of other Strigoi as well. 

"Charlotte," I heard from up the stairs. Erik had limped his way to the top of the basement stairs. "Come back." 

"Leave me alone," I cried up to him. I thought I heard him sigh, and to my amazement, he turned around and limped away. Both relief and dread pooled in my gut. He was walking away so easily. Why? Was he done trying to 'protect' me? I shook it off, trying to stay focused. I looked down at my glowing hands, hoping the burning of them would keep me safe at least until I found Rose and the others. I called out again. "Rose?" 

Silence met me, like a dead cemetery at night and a bad feeling crept up my spine as I tiptoed around, straining my ears. "Come on, come on," I whispered to myself. Nobody intercepted me as I opened doors, the place seemingly empty, and I stayed low to the ground anyway. Somewhere along the maze of corridors and wooden doors, I heard voices.