by Raven Steele
Frigid goosebumps broke across my skin, and I swallowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Have I missed anything?” Sable’s voice asked behind me. She crossed the room to her usual place in the corner and sat on a stool surrounded by jasmine. She’d changed into a silky green, short-sleeved housecoat. Tucked beneath her arm was a watering can.
“We were just beginning,” Erik said, smoothing his hair back into place. He walked over to me and set the cage down before proceeding to fasten the straps around my chest and legs. In my ear, he whispered, “For your protection.”
I forced my breathing to slow and pushed my mind somewhere else. I couldn’t let them have it, my magic. Madelyn’s words echoed in my mind: It is yours to protect.
Sable poured water into the nearby plants and touched their leaves tenderly. “I trust this won’t take long? I have a meeting in the morning.”
Erik glared. “It will take as long as it needs to.”
She sighed as she plucked wilted leaves from a plant hanging above her.
Erik knelt in front of me and removed my slippers. “What I’m about to do may be extreme, but we are out of time. I hope you’ll do the right thing and use your abilities to save yourself.”
I tried not to let my mind wander with what new torture he may have devised. He lifted the cage and peered inside its tight slits again, the corner of his mouth rising. I repressed a shiver.
“You embarrassed us tonight, Eve,” he said as he opened the top of the cage. Whatever was inside bumped the walls, almost knocking it from Erik’s hands.
“What are you going to do?” I didn’t mean to whimper.
“You’ll see, but remember, you have the power to stop it.”
Water poured from Sable’s can.
I closed my eyes and prepared for the inevitable. I would not use magic. No matter what.
Erik took hold of my foot and guided it into the trap. Something bit me hard, and I yelped.
“This rat hasn’t eaten for days,” he explained. “I hope your foot has enough flesh on it—”
My screams drowned out the rest of his words. The hungry rat tore into my skin with teeth and claws. I tried to kick at it, but that only made it madder, and it clamped onto my pinky toe with sharp teeth.
Time to leave.
To escape the pain, I did what I always did: left reality and traveled to Eden, a secret haven I’d created when I was just a child. It was a refuge hidden deep within my subconscious that I used to protect myself from Erik and Sable’s constant abuse.
I’d first heard of Eden when I was only six from an elderly woman who’d marveled when I’d revealed my name.
I was standing outside a jewelry shop in Manhattan waiting for my father, when a woman with thick eyelashes and a gentle smile approached me. “What’s your name, little one?”
I’d been taught not to speak to others, but the woman’s eyes felt like a canopy, sheltering me from the world. In a small voice, I answered, “Eve.”
“What a beautiful name,” the old woman said, her gnarled hands gripping a cane. “You must be really special.”
“Why?”
“Because Eve was the mother of all living things. She was beautiful, kind, and full of love. It’s a great honor to be named after her.”
“Where is Eve?” I asked, hoping I could visit her.
“She lived in a wonderful place called Eden where there was no pain or sorrow. But that was a long time ago. Eden is gone, along with Eve. But I can see in those rare emerald eyes of yours that you will be just as great as our Mother Eve.”
It was at this moment when Erik, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, shoved the old woman backward. She stumbled, tripped over the curb, and fell into the street.
“Keep your idiotic stories to yourself,” Erik said.
That was the first time I created Eden, and I had returned many times since. As long as I had Eden, I was out of their reach.
In the deepest part of my mind, I arrived there now, just as the full moon reached its peak in the night sky. Its silver light brought the dark world to life, illuminating trees and the flowers blanketing the ground. The air smelled of salt and pine, and in the distance, waves hushed against the shore. I moved into a grove of trees, anxious to see the ocean.
I didn’t get very far. Somewhere inside my subconscious, a man was yelling. Something crashed, metal against metal. I didn’t listen too closely for fear that returning to the real world would bring excruciating pain again. I reached the edge of the woods, but the man’s angered voice persisted until my curiosity overrode the fear of torture.
I closed my eyes and willed myself back to reality, but as soon as my mind connected with my body, the pain was greater than I’d anticipated. I cried out and fought against the straps around my chest.
“What have you done?” the same male voice demanded.
I forced my eyes open. In front of me kneeled Boaz.
Chapter 5
Boaz gazed at my bloodied foot, his eyebrows pressed together. Sable was gone. Erik stood against the wall, an empty cage in his hand, and a dead rat at his feet. Had he killed it or had Boaz?
Breathing shallowly, I glanced down at my right foot. It would’ve been unrecognizable if it hadn’t been for my first and second toes, which were mostly intact. The rest of my flesh had been shredded, exposing bone in some places. I gripped the sides of the chair and threw my head back, stifling another scream.
Boaz released the straps around my legs and chest. He seemed to be at a loss for words as he stared deeply into my eyes, his cool hand smoothing back my sweat-drenched hair.
He turned to Erik and growled, “You tell Sable to fix this tonight!”
“But Boaz, you must understand. This had to be done.”
Boaz's glare left Erik, but softened when it reached me. “Can you stand?”
Though the pain was severe, I ignored it. The last thing I wanted was help from a friend of my parents. No one in their circle could be trusted. I pushed against the armrests, lifting my body to a standing position.
“Breathe,” he whispered in my ear while he steadied me with his hands.
I exhaled the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. His touch, surprisingly warm against my skin, awakened my magic again, something I normally would’ve been upset about with having Erik so close, but with the rush of power came a kind of numbing to my body. The sharpest of the pain dissipated.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
His hands remained on my hips, squeezing gently. Nodding, I continued forward. Each step felt as though I was stepping on nails, but it was manageable. Boaz stayed by my side, guiding me out the door and up the steps, leaving Erik behind.
“I can carry you, if you’d like,” Boaz offered.
“No, but thank you.” I stopped. “Why did you come back?”
“I never left. I was exploring the grounds.”
“This late?”
He raised his eyebrow, and I looked away, embarrassed.
“I’m glad I didn’t leave.”
I forced my body up another step. “But how did you find us? Only a few people know of these lower levels.”
“I heard your screams. Are you sure I can’t carry you?”
“No. I’m fine. In fact, you can leave now. Thank you for your help.” I didn’t want him to think I was vulnerable or an easy victim.
“Very well then. I need to speak with Erik. Rest assured, he will never harm you again.” He reached up and slid his hand down my arm, leaving pleasure in its wake. I sucked in a quick breath.
“I hope I will see you again,” he said in a throaty voice, his eyes on my mouth.
My gaze traveled up to his bicep peeking out from his black, short-sleeved shirt. A red and black snake tattoo twisted around the large muscle.
My eyes met his, and I forced the words from my lips. “Not likely, but again, thank you for your help.”
As quickly as possible, I limped away from him, despite the biting
pain. I continued up the stairs, but when I didn’t hear his footsteps going back down, I glanced behind me. Boaz was gone, as if he’d evaporated.
Sable met me at the top of the stairs with a bowl of wet jasmine leaves. “These are for you. Wrap them around your knee and your owie will be better by morning.”
“It’s my foot,” I clarified, but she was already walking in the opposite direction.
Once inside my bedroom, I collapsed into bed, gritting my teeth. I hated my parents so much. Their punishments had always been cruel, but tonight they had taken it to a whole new level. I needed to find a way past that spell stopping me from escaping as soon as possible.
I withdrew a long jasmine vine from the basin and wrapped it around my foot. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to do this, as Sable hadn’t given any instructions, but it seemed the most likely way. I did the same with a few more vines and then pulled a long sock over the wet plants. Within a few minutes, my foot was entirely numb.
Laying down, I tried to sleep but I couldn’t get over how strange of a night it had been, starting with Sable overseeing every detail of my introduction with Boaz. She wanted Boaz to like me, but why? And why did I feel so different around him? Had he been using magic on me?
Lastly, I thought of the uninvited guest who wouldn’t give me his name and who had disappeared. He had told me to leave this place, less I become a monster. I wish I could’ve told him how much I agreed with him. But I was trapped.
Because I couldn’t sleep, I rose early and wandered the grounds surrounding the mansion. As Sable had promised, the flesh on my foot had healed. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and a light mist lingered in the trees.
Several cars were still parked in the driveway. It was only a matter of time before Erik kicked them out. He never could tolerate the presence of others for very long, including the company of his wife. I wondered every day why they had bothered to marry, but more importantly, why they bothered to have a child. Together, they were powerful enough. Why did they need me, and why were they so desperate for me to become a Legend at magic?
I returned quietly to the house, hoping to go unnoticed as usual, but today was not a usual day.
Sensing my return, Sable called from the kitchen, “Eve, darling, come join us for breakfast.”
She was using her sweet voice, which meant she wanted something.
Erik and Sable stood together, shoulder to shoulder, next to the dining room table. Their eyes followed me until I sat at the only chair with a place setting in front of it. I picked up a spoon and took a bite of cold oatmeal.
“Last night was regrettable,” Sable said, her hand hands clasped tightly in front of her.
“That’s an understatement,” I mumbled.
My father snorted in disagreement. “It would’ve worked if Boaz wouldn’t have interrupted us. I know it.”
“This thing with Boaz—” my mother began but I slammed my spoon to the table.
“There is no thing with Boaz.”
“You mustn’t screw it up,” she finished. “He made his intentions very clear last night, and even though we don’t think you’re ready for him, you will make an excellent match.”
My fingers curled into my palms so tight that my nails bit into my flesh. They may have me trapped in this house, but they could not force me to love another person, especially a vampire. “Do what you want to me, but I will not be Boaz’s match.”
Erik’s left eye twitched, and his upper lip receded. “You don’t have a say.”
I hated that I had been born into a supernatural family. We lived by rules that normal humans didn’t. Where they were free to choose whom they married, those like me often had arranged marriages that had nothing to do with love. It was all about elevating our position of power among our kind and the humans. We needed to be able to influence laws and policies for the day we made our kind known publicly, an event my parents assured me was soon coming.
“Does it matter at all what I want?” I asked, my voice softer.
“What matters is that you get to live.” Erik walked out of the room without looking back. He’d said what he’d wanted and would not waste another word. Sable looked as if she wanted to say more, but apparently thought better of it. She turned and rushed after Erik.
I sighed and pushed the bowl in front of me away. I would never have a relationship with Boaz or anyone connected to my parents. The thought sickened me. Besides, he was a vampire, and I was a human. It couldn’t work even if I wanted it to, not well anyway. So what were they thinking?
Erik and Sable left the next day without telling me. I was glad for it because I needed to learn more about the spell that held me to this place. Maybe I could find a way to break the magic from one of their books they kept in my father's study. I wasn't allowed in there so I would have to be careful.
I waited until there was a change of staff to sneak into my father's office, using magic to pick the lock. I wouldn’t have risked it before, but two things had changed in the last few weeks. They’d upped their level of abuse in order to get me to use more magic, and now they were talking about gifting me to a vampire, I had to leave. Find somewhere to disappear altogether.
I was done. Done with it all. And once I was free, I would find a spell, maybe in the very book I was about to steal, that could keep me hidden from them.
My father’s office was dark and smelled of old cigars and whiskey. I tiptoed along the wooden floors and behind an ornately carved desk with gold encased legs, listening carefully to the sounds of the house. Our servants were far more scared of Erik and Sable than they were of me and wouldn’t hesitate telling them about my thievery, if I was caught. I couldn’t imagine the punishment I’d receive for being in here.
Up against the wall behind the thousand-pound desk was a huge mahogany bookcase crammed full of magical books. I only dared take a few precious seconds to choose one. My hands were shaking as I selected a dark, leather-bound book with the words 'Blood Spells' etched into the spine. I'm not sure if it would have the answers I needed, but it was a start.
I dressed in my riding gear and headed to the stables. Horse riding was the only activity they sometimes allowed, and since they weren’t around for me to ask, I figured it was okay.
After saddling my gray mare, Storm, I rode into the forest, despite the sky threatening rain. My parents owned over a hundred acres, all private with no trespassing signs. I only knew half of what went on in these woods; the other half I didn’t want to know. My parents didn’t just throw parties for humans, but also for those in power among supernatural creatures. Those parties were always outside, deep inside the forest and at night. I avoided them at all costs.
When I reached a clearing beside a shallow creek, I slowed Storm to a stop. During the cooler months, this was my favorite place. The wide gap in the canopy of trees normally let in just enough sunlight to warm the ground. I withdrew a heavy blanket and spread it over dead grass, hoping the sun might appear as the day wore on.
With the spell book in hand, I lay there and buried my feet beneath a fold in the blanket. Doing this reminded me of Madelyn, and I sucked in an unexpected sharp breath. She used to take me out here and practice magic without my parents’ influence. I’d use my abilities to help grow the forest, heal animals, create beauty. These sessions were invaluable as a child because it kept my heart from hardening.
I’d only read a few pages when a soft wind blew my hair away from my neck. It was surprisingly warm given the season, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the heat.
I tensed when the air became more focused and the slight breeze changed to that of a soft caress down the nape of my neck and toward my breasts, taking my breath away. I sucked in air and sat up, my eyes opening wide and my pulse racing.
Scanning the trees and all their many shadows, I startled at the sight of Boaz leaning against a tree on the other side of the brook, his arms folded to his chest. The darkest part of the forest bathed him in inky blackness and yet, he stood ou
t among the black. When our eyes met, my heartbeat tripped over itself. I could feel power lurking behind the glossy surface of his eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said, his voice tense. Not at all sweet-sounding like it had been the night before. Hunwald, the wolf, stood absolutely still by his side.
“It’s none of your business.” I tore my eyes away from him and focused on the spell book on my lap. It’s the only way I could slow the painful beating of my heart. “I’m perfectly fine alone, and if you don’t mind, that’s how I’d like to stay.”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a fair maiden alone in the big, bad woods?” His words were playful, but his tone still held a sharp edge.
“I can assure you, you are no gentleman and therefore are not required to act like one.” I continued to pretend to read, but after a minute under the intense pressure of his stare, I lowered the book and said more forcefully, “Please leave.”
“I told you. I’m not leaving you alone.”
I snapped the book closed. “Why not?”
“I heard your life was in danger.”
“Danger? What are you talking about?” I pursed my lips together, thinking hard. Maybe my parents had come home early and found me missing. They would definitely be upset if they knew I left without permission. What if they noticed the book was missing? A wave of nausea washed over me.
“You don’t look so well,” he said, stepping toward me. Concern filled his weighted gaze.
“I have to go.” I quickly gathered my belongings, praying my parents were still away.
“I should see you home,” Boaz insisted.
He appeared next to me so suddenly, I stumbled into Storm. Boaz gripped my arm to steady me. At the touch, a jolt of heat shot through me, making me dizzy.
“I insist.” He stared down at his hand on my arm as if he had felt the same thing.
Reluctantly withdrawing my arm, I shook my head and lifted onto Storm’s back, my thoughts torn between Boaz and getting home. “I’ll be fine.”
