A Vampire's Life Book 7

Chapter 7

Night had crept up on Lucian, darkness crept across the room as he sat in the corner against the walls. He tried to mould his body into the corner, trying to get as far away from the sinister thoughts that had taken shape, slowly etching their way closer to him. Inky dark shadows slithered along the wood floors, over the rug and touched at his toes. The wind whispered taunting words to him, telling him that inner peace was just a line away. He could have just one, it whispered, one would make no difference. The darkness edged over his toes even though he curled them under, pulling his feet closer to his body. He tried to shrink further into the wall, trying to escape the dark but nothing would work. Pain gnawed at his body, his head thumped over and over again like a tribal drum that boomed through his mind. His arms were wrapped around his legs trying to get away from the shadow demon that was reaching out for him. The moon's gaze from the window above him was of no help, it was supposed to abate the shadows but it did nothing. Perched high in the sky the moon was large and full and worse yet, quiet. The shadows curled up the walls around him, slowly shrinking his space of light. Drums echoed through him as his eyes darted from wall to wall, watching them close in, taking his light away. Lucian closed his eyes trying to find some light filled paradise, where he could forget the nightmare that had become real. Where he could soak in the light and forget his problems. But there was no paradise to be found, the coldness of the shadow had soaked through his body making him shiver frantically. When the shadows had consumed the light and Lucian was sitting in total darkness, the booming drums stopped.

He opened his eyes to a new source of light, the moons gaze shined through the patio doors to the table nearby. It looked like it was covered in diamonds, shimmering in the light. Lucian rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it. The drums had stopped; the shadows had consumed the room but there was one ray of light. Then the shadow monster spoke. One, just one Lucian. Open the draw, you know you have enough for tonight. One won't hurt, just one little ray of light to send us away. Lucian gulped as he stared at the draw in the coffee table, all that he needed was in that draw. He let out a low whimper, not wanting to let the monster win, shaking his head. One little ray of hope my lovely, it will dispel all of your fears, all of your demons. We will slip away into the night and leave you be. Just one little ray of light.

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Danika laid in bed, thinking about that kiss. How sweet it was, how perfect was the moment, even if she was scared. She knew she should be scared, he was drunk and very likely high. As she laid in bed staring at the ceiling she knew that he was only a few steps from her. Their rooms shared a wall. She was so close yet so far. Danika knew a lot about him, his family and his past but she wanted to know more, she wanted to know the real him. Even though she knew he was drunk, she thought that maybe with the time that had passed, he had sobered enough to be around and have a conversation. She hoped. Danika climbed out of the bed and crept along the hall, the few steps to his bedroom. Quietly she knocked as she opened the door, calling out to him in a soft voice. The room was dark, the moonlight shone bright through the open doors to the patio. He wasn't in his bed and there were no sounds coming from his bathroom. She was about to turn away when she saw the coffee table, powder everywhere. Danika frowned knowing it wasn't like that when she was here a few hours ago. She didn't want to deal with an addict, her last boyfriend was one and he wasn't easy to live with. He stole from her constantly to pay for his habit, he almost got her killed because his dealer turned up looking for his money. Danika knew that would never happen with someone like Lucian who clearly had a lot of money but she knew it wasn't worth the risk. As she began to close the door, something caught her eye. A foot. It twitched. Danika gasped and quickly entered the room, closing the door behind her. There he was, passed out in between the table and the lounge.