The Vampire Court by Ali Winters

Author:Ali Winters [Winters, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ali Winters

Chapter Eighteen

Clara

I sit up and stare into the dark void surrounding me. My breath forms white plumes of air. Cold seeps into my muscles, making them stiff and clumsy when I push my blanket away. Squinting into the shadows, I will my vision to focus.

Distant whispers come from all directions in a language I don’t know. Finally, a thin sliver of light shines through the slit of a window, allowing me to see.

I don’t recognize this place, the small room or the broken down dresser. At first, I think I’m back in Littlemire, but the bed is too small, the window is wrong, and Kitty is not snoring softly at my side.

It takes me several seconds to shake off the cobwebs from my sleep-addled mind. Disappointment and a prickle of fear accompany the truth as everything comes flooding back.

The corner nearest the window remains shrouded in the pitch dark. I know that there is nothing there but shadows. Still, I can’t tear my gaze away as the unsettling feeling of being watched presses down on me. My blood runs cold.

I stare into the impenetrable darkness, unblinking. Shapes seem to sway and move. I can’t tell if it’s my imagination or if someone or something is there.

The whispers gradually become louder. Then, from the soft melee, three clear words breakthrough. “Come to me.”

There’s a demon in my room. They come to me at night when I am alone and asleep, and my mind is vulnerable. They dig their claws into my unconsciousness and grab hold before I wake.

“Why?” The question comes out more of a breath than a fully formed word—a single word to ask a multitude of questions. Why would a demon summon me? Why should I go to them? Why am I haunted by demons?

They nod. Moving from the shadows, they float across the room, passing effortlessly through the door.

“I can give you the answers you seek,” the demon says before disappearing completely.

Their hold releases. I slump forward, gasping for air. Tears of frustration well up, blurring out the world.

Stumbling to my feet, I run out the door and away from the demon. I want to find Alaric, to—

I collide with a solid mass. Muscular arms wrap around me in a tight hold.

“Clara?”

I jerk back and look up into Cassius’s face. I push against him, twisting, but his grip only tightens. There’s a whoosh of air, and the light from the hall is gone. The walls of my tiny room surround me again.

My legs give out from the unexpected speed. I slump to the floor. Cassius follows me, refusing to let go. He pins my back to his chest, holding my arms to my sides, and clamps his thighs against my hips and legs, rendering me unable to move.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, twisting my neck to glare.

“Me?” He returns the look. “I should be the one asking you what you’re doing. You were running through the halls crying.”

The fight leaves me all at once. I turn away, not wanting him to witness the new tears that spring up.

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