Deathless by Selina A. Fenech

Author:Selina A. Fenech [Fenech, Selina A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fairies and Fantasy Pty Ltd
Published: 2021-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Kaitlyn

I wandered around Lance’s dusty mansion for some time, waiting and anxious, before I found a small door leading to an even smaller balcony, one with a narrow, steep staircase that led right up onto the roof.

The pitched tiles shifted and crunched under my weight as I climbed up, and I tentatively shuffled over into the valley between two roofs, which made an almost comfortable place to sit.

I could just make out Heim’s silhouette against the night sky, watching from a ridge on the lower wing, but I could pretend I was alone.

I sat there while the sky lightened, and swallows darted across the eggshell-blue expanse, chasing clouds of tiny gnats. A low wind made the long grass all around the house sway like ocean waves.

The sun appeared, the first thin beam shining straight, like a golden arrow, through the gap between cliffs, right into the Sun Shrine. From up here, the shape of the ancient temple stood out clearly. Megalithic stones met together in two curves, with two more circles of stones inside, almost like an eye. The inner circles were covered, and the whole thing was built down into a sort of amphitheater, carved out of the stony mountainside.

The rumble of a helicopter came from the distance, then a moment later, Joss appeared on the path leading up to the house, carrying Owen. Joss placed Owen back on his feet, then she looked directly up at me. I felt almost like I’d been caught out, but I wasn’t the one doing something wrong. How did she spot me so fast? She probably smelled my blood.

It wasn’t long before Owen came up and joined me on the roof.

“Night’s greetings,” he said. The greeting of a vampire.

“It’s dawn.”

He turned to look at the sky, as though verifying what I’d said. “You look tired.”

“My days and nights are already getting mixed up.” A tear crept down my face.

He moved forward, catching it with his finger.

“You have a nice trip?” I didn’t mean to be catty, but it slipped out.

He sighed and sat beside me. “It was meant to be a secret.”

“I can’t believe you managed to escape, even for a while, and you didn’t take me.”

“I didn’t escape. Joss was with me the whole time.” He thumb-pointed behind us where Joss had joined Heim on the other ridge, like two gargoyles, their eyes and faces completely masked from the rising sun.

“You know what I mean. How did you do it?”

“Lance can be persuasive. Joss was still technically fulfilling her duty, guarding me. She’s the only one who knows how far away we actually went. And I promised to be back by morning.” He sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry I went without you, but I had to—”

“I know why you went.” And I understood. But a night of overthinking had left my emotions ragged. A sob squeaked out.

I wanted the freedom Owen had just had, even if only for a few hours. I wanted my life back. It was mine but it kept being stolen from me.

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