Gabe nodded.
Heathcliff didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He kept looking from a piece of paper in his hand and side to side at the old doors almost hidden in the walls. The alley seemed to go on forever, and I wondered how much longer we would be here.
Finally, Heath stopped and scratched his head. “I think this is it.” He knocked and we waited. After several seconds a young Asian boy in navy shorts and a white tee shirt answered the door. He appraised us before asking in perfect English, “What do you want?”
I felt the hesitation in the brothers. They all had their shoulders hunched except Heathcliff.
“Hello,” Heathcliff said, giving the boy a smile. “Adam Henry asked me to bring something to Kenmei-sensei.”
The boy stepped back as though Heath had cursed. “One minute.” The door slammed and there was high-pitched shouting in Japanese.
We looked at each other. I shrugged, tucking my hands into my front pockets. After several more minutes an elderly Asian man opened the door. He wore clothes similar to Professor Pops.
“Adam Henry has something for me?” He bowed slightly.
Heath, Dorian, Gabe, and I returned the bow. Professor Pops had been teaching the boys about different cultures since they were little. Sometimes he’d teach me, too, and for that reason I knew that it was a sign of respect to return the old man’s bow.
Heath pulled a folded paper from his back pocket. “Are you Kenmei-sensei?”
A smile ignited the man’s face. “Hai.”
Heath handed him the paper. “This is for you, then.”
With slightly shaking hands, Kenmei took the paper and unfolded it. He studied whatever was on it.
The four of us shuffled back and forth, waiting patiently, but I thought I’d gag if I had to stay in the alley much longer. The smell was more than atrocious.
Finally, Kenmei looked at Heath and then set his gaze on Dorian and Gabe before his eyes rested on me. A prickling fear surged along my spine. Looking into his dark eyes was like looking into the Universe. If anyone asked, I would swear I saw stars and planets rotating within.
“You are not one of Adam Henry’s sons.” It wasn’t a question.
I shook my head, placing my hands behind my back in fists. “No, I’m just a friend of the family.”
“A good friend,” he added.
“Yes,” I agreed, working to keep the overbearing fear crawling along my appendages in check. His stare worried me, and I glanced down at my feet, realizing I stood in a puddle of murky yellow water. Shifting, I moved closer to Gabe. He placed a hand at the small of my back and I relaxed.
“Come.” Kenmei stood back, his hand gesturing that we enter. “Adam is expecting an answer. Won’t the four of you come in? My grandson, Hiro-san, will make you some tea.”
Heathcliff answered as though he’d been holding his breath. “We’d love to.”
“Excellent.” He moved inside.
After the four of us had stepped in, Hiro appeared seemingly out of nowhere and barked, “Take off your shoes,” as he closed the door.
“I’ll be right back,” Kenmei said when he reached the end of the hall. “Show them into the dining room and get them some tea,” he added, speaking to Hiro.
Hiro bowed. “Yes, Grandfather.”
Kenmei disappeared.
I rolled up my pant legs because the ends were wet and removed my shoes as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. It’d been dusk outside, but for some reason it seemed darker in here. I could barely make out that Gabe and the others were removing their shoes as well. When I finished, I straightened.
“Follow me, please, and don’t touch anything.” Hiro shook his pointer finger at us slowly but seemed to be looking directly at me.
Did I have “klutzy” stamped across my forehead? Probably, I answered myself with a sigh.
I followed the boy. Gabe and the others followed me. We seemed to be taking the same route Kenmei had gone. It looked like the only way to get anywhere. The floor was covered in plush Oriental carpet, the design intricate. The walls were covered in cream paint. Lights ran along the ceiling, but elaborately painted lamps covered them, which was why the room emitted only a slight reddish glow. Pictures of ancient-looking people, water dragons, and creatures that looked like they’d been pulled from nightmares hung randomly on the walls. The air smelled like incense, which was much nicer than the garbage stench outside.
As we padded along, I got the distinct impression I was being watched. Paranoid much? It was just that I was in a strange place. It was unnerving.
Abruptly the hallway ended, and we had to either turn to the left or the right. Hiro led us to the right. Not too far after that, he stopped in front of double paper-looking doors. Sliding one open, he ushered us inside the room.
A shiny onyx table that could seat at least twelve sat majestically in the center. Black leather chairs surrounded it. In the middle of the table sat a rock and bamboo water fountain, gurgling contentedly. Directly above it hung an enormous chandelier. I couldn’t see the ceiling though. It just seemed to go up and up and up without end. That had to be a trick of the light.
Hiro patted a chair at the head of the table. “You, girl. Sit here. The rest of you can find a spot. I’ll be right back.” Without another word, he left.
We looked at each other and laughed.
“That kid has more confidence in his little finger than most people have in their whole bodies,” Dorian said.
We all agreed as we went to our seats.
“I wonder why he wanted me to sit here?” I asked, cautiously pulling out the chair and sitting.
“Probably because you’re cute,” Gabe said, and the others agreed. He winked at me. I blinked, unsure. Gabe shook his head, a half-smile on his lips. “Snowflake,” he muttered, grabbing my hand between his and massaging it.
Heathcliff looked from me to Gabe. “What’s going on with you two? Are you a couple now?” He seemed irritated and I flinched at the question, surprised. Gabe would have to answer this one, because I didn’t know either.
Gabe gave Heath a pointed stare. “You’ve known about my feelings for Snow for quite some time. It wasn’t until last night I had a suspicion she might feel the same way about me.”
His feelings? I was in shock but worked to keep my emotions hidden behind a blank face.
Gabe turned to Dorian. “You guys don’t have a problem with me asking out Snow, do you?”
Hey, what about me? As much as I was certain my feelings for Gabe were obvious, shouldn’t he have mentioned this to me first?
Dorian shook his head. “It’s cool with me, man.”
Heathcliff turned his attention to me. “How do you feel about all of this? About you and Gabe?”
I blew out a breath. “I’m not sure,” I said, pulling my hand from Gabe’s and biting a nail. Of course, I liked him, but this conversation didn’t sit right. Gabe’s green eyes penetrated mine. “I think we should talk alone, don’t you?” I asked in a whisper, though it echoed around the room.
His eyes fell, and I wondered if I’d hurt his feelings. “You’re right,” he agreed.
Hiro walked in with a silver tray that was almost as big as him. On it sat a white teapot and several cylinder-shaped cups. He set it down to my right. I watched as he poured the tea in four cups and handed one to each of us. “Drink,” he said. “Grandfather will be with you shortly.” Then he was gone.
I picked up the cup and the others followed. I sniffed it, letting the steam hit my face, and it was then that I realized it was quite chilly in here. The tea smelled good, like ginger and other spices. Carefully, I took a sip and swallowed. The heat hit the back of my throat and I felt it go all the way down to my stomach. Contentment fanned through my insides like the sun on a hot day. I took another sip, then set down the cup.
“Is that sugar?” Heathcliff asked. I opened the container and looked.
“Sure is. You want some?” I picked up the white container a
nd handed it to him.
My eyes suddenly seemed to have lead on them. I struggled to keep them open. I watched Heath put one, then two, then three scoops of sugar in his tea. Dorian did the same. By the time Gabe reached for the sugar, my eyes had shut.
Chapter 8
When I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t in the dining room any more, but lying on a satin-covered bed. Thick white curtains sealed me in like leftover spicy tofu in a takeout box. Sitting up, the slick red sheets fell into my lap revealing I wasn’t wearing my clothes anymore. Instead I had on a black silk nightgown with thin straps.
What in the world, I thought, too bewildered to be nervous. I’d been tired. Perhaps Kenmei had put me to bed. But where were the guys? I needed to get out of here. Hopefully they were okay. We still had a musical to attend.
“Gabe,” I called out, trying to find a separation in the curtains.
“Hello, Snow White.” It was a male voice, low and soft. It sounded familiar, but it wasn’t Gabe’s.
“Who’s there?” A little more vigorously I ran my hands over the velvety softness, searching for an opening.
I heard a click, and the room was blanketed in darkness.
“W-What’s going on?” My voice didn’t sound like my own but was raised an octave. This is what terror feels like, I told myself, standing up on the mattress, trying to pull the curtains from the frame. “Where’s Gabe? Where’s the old man?”
“Relax, beautiful. You’ve been marked by her highness, and the queen always gets her way.”
Even freaked, I noticed a twinge of regret or remorse in his words. Focusing on that was pointless though. Escaping. Leaving the room in one piece. That was priority number one. I’d moved from one side of the bed to the other, trying to get out. Without meaning to I stepped off the edge and between the curtains and the mattress. When my foot hit the floor, a sharp pain zinged my knee, but I barely noticed. Swinging my other leg around, I placed it on the floor, scooted onto all fours, and climbed out of the curtains.
Free! I let out a sob of relief, but quickly covered my mouth as I stood. If I couldn’t see, then maybe he couldn’t either. Wiping my eyes, I stuck my hands out in front of me, feeling for the wall, or a chair, or a door, and took a cautious step forward. My knee gave, and I whimpered. “This isn’t funny,” I said, my teeth chattering. A moment later, I bumped into something. It was pliable yet solid. Apprehensively I touched it, trying to figure out what it was. It wasn’t a door, or a chair.
But a person.
His jaw was square, his hair soft and thick, shoulders broad and muscled. His chest was taut. When my mind realized what my hands were doing, I screamed and took a step backward. Strong hands grabbed me by the waist.
“Snow,” he whispered. His breath brushed against my cheek and smelled of ginger tea. A wave of relief washed over me. It had to be one of the brothers.
“Who is this?” He hadn’t really sounded like Dorian, Heathcliff, or Gabe, but he’d kept his voice low so the possibility of it being one of them still existed. I reached up and touched his face with my hands. It wasn’t Gabe. Of that I was certain. Heath was tall, like this guy, but he didn’t have scruff on his face. Dorian was taller than them both and certainly as brawny.
“If you’re trying to tease me, I’m not laughing. I hurt my knee and I’m scared.” Another sob grabbed my throat, but I clamped it down. I hoped my honesty would reprimand him and he’d turn on the lights.
“I’m not teasing. This is deadly serious.” His grasp on my waist shifted as he pulled me firmly against him with one arm. His other hand slid into my hair. With a firm yank he pulled my head back, exposing my neck.
I sucked in my breath, preparing to scream. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness and I could see the red tinge in his eyes. They glowed the way the old man’s hallway had.
“What do you want?” Fear pulsed inside my ears.
“To taste you.” He opened his mouth. I saw his canines grow. Without thinking, I sent my knee into his groin.
A look of humorous surprise sprang into his eyes before burning anger replaced it. His teeth sank into my neck, my skin parting like a boat gliding through water. When he started to suck everything became hazy, like a dream. My body suddenly ached for his touch even as my mind revolted. I heard myself sigh and pushed my neck deeper into his mouth. He shuddered, and the pull of my blood from my body became stronger.
Then there was darkness.
Chapter 9
I was being shaken.
“Snow. Snow. Wake up.”
With a jolt I shot up in my chair. My head had been resting on the table. My eyes were blurry. The light from the chandelier glared. All my thoughts were on the man with the glowing red eyes and the way he’d been drinking my blood. Yearning and loathing swirled through my organs. A scream gurgled out, and I grabbed at my throat.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe asked, his face contorted with worry.
Wiping my eyes, I scanned the room. Kenmei, Hiro, Heathcliff, Dorian, and Gabe stared at me with a mixture of apprehension and worry. Standing, my chair shot out and knocked to the floor. “What’s going on?” I don’t know why, but I focused all of my anger on Kenmei. “Some psycho bit me,” I screamed, slamming my hands on the table. It shattered right down the middle.
The guys stood as the table leaned toward them and the white cups slid to the floor.
Kenmei bent and whispered something to Hiro. The boy nodded and ran off.
Gabe put his hands out. “Snow, it’s okay.” He studied the table, dragging a hand through his hair as though he were trying to come to grips with what had just transpired.
I’d broken a freaking table with my bare hands and I should’ve been terrified, but I was unable to rein in the burning anger. Loud pounding noises, like a hundred drummers banging the bass, sounded inside my head. The rhythm made my blood boil. I touched my neck in the place where the man had bitten. I could feel the raised scar tissue. “Aha!” It had really happened… somehow. That knowledge thrilled me in a strange, crazy way. “Look,” I said, grabbing Gabe’s hand and pressing his fingers to my neck. So close, I smelled his shampoo and his deodorant. Ginger tea tinged his breath. I also smelled something else. It was fragrant, musky. Was it fear? Placing a hand on his chest I realized the banging bass in my brain was Gabe’s heart, and the other pounding was the beating of the others’ hearts. “Can you feel the scars?” I asked Gabe, trying to contain my need to shout. “Or see a bruise? There must be a bruise at least.”
He leaned away slightly, his green eyes wide. “No.” He tried to look at my neck, but I pushed him away, frustrated.
“No? How can you not feel it? Where’s a mirror?” Bowing slightly, I stopped in front of Kenmei. Tilting my neck toward him I swallowed my overwhelming panic, brushed away tears, and fought my ferocious anger. “Do you see anything?” I asked through clenched teeth.
He kept his face neutral. “There is something supernatural surrounding you.”
That wasn’t an answer, but I couldn’t push my wayward tears back any longer and sank into the chair Hiro had occupied a moment ago. “What’s happening to me?”
The little boy, Hiro, peeked around the corner. “Shiryo! Shiryo! Shiryo!”
The word filled me with panic. “What’s that? What’s he saying?”
Heathcliff, Dorian, and Gabe had come to stand behind me. I knew it because the rapid pounding of their hearts grew closer.
“Shiryo. What does that mean?” Dorian asked, only slightly more calmly than me.
Kenmei gave Hiro a reproachful look. “Did you do as I asked?”
“Yes, Grandfather. Adam Henry is coming.”
Heathcliff sprang into action. “I’d better leave a message with the others that we might be a while.” He took his cell from his pocket and excused himself from the room.
Kenmei dragged in a deep breath. “Shiryo is Japanese for ghost, spirit, soul, or revenant.”
As he spoke the last word, he looked directly at me. His ex
planation sank deep into my veins. Revenant. I rolled the word over in my mind.
“What exactly is a revenant?” Gabe asked. His voice shook with emotion and I looked back. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Our short-lived romance was over before it’d begun. I could sense it. But he promised, I thought, agony crushing my heart.
“After I tell you, you boys should head home. This may take a while.”
“We aren’t leaving her,” Dorian added.
“I understand.” A sad smile lifted Kenmei’s lips. “A revenant is a changeling. Not quite human and not quite vampire.”
At that word—vampire—all hell broke loose. The guys started shouting simultaneously about lies and fairytales. I pulled my knees to my chest and put my forehead on my kneecaps. Tears dripped from my eyes onto my jeans.
I’d let the brothers figure this one out.
Chapter 10
I spent another hour in the chair, hiding my face, barely listening to the conversation between Kenmei, Dorian, Heathcliff, Gabe, and Hiro. Professor Pops finally arrived along with the other four brothers. With his assurance that he’d fill them in later, he sent them home. Then Kenmei led Professor Pops and me into another room. It was small, more like a closet, with just an organized brown desk and three straight back chairs.
Professor Pops patted my back kindly. “Tell us what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”
I relayed the events, including the embarrassing fact that I’d found pleasure in the guy biting me, sucking my blood. Professor Pops and Kenmei exchanged a knowing look.
“Do you understand what’s happened?” I asked Professor Pops.
He cleared his throat and studied his hands. His nervousness scared me worse than anything. “Snow, I’ve known for some time that you’d been marked. I expected she would wait until after your sixteenth birthday to send him. That’s normally when the first exchange happens.” He glanced at Kenmei. “I’d hoped, between Kenmei and I, we could find a way to keep it from occurring.” He blew out a breath. “We’ve failed.”
Blood and Snow: Snow White Reimagined with Vampires and Magic (Seven Magics Academy Book 1) Page 4
