Then it hit me. Gabriel. The subject of my dreams, my thoughts; he was here. We were here together.
I struggled out of the bedroom and hobbled across the landing, willing my legs to wake up. I made my way down the winding staircase but slammed to a halt when I got to the living room and three hugely surprised Vampires spun around and bared their fangs at me, with a ferocious hissing noise. I stepped back, feeling as though I had disturbed a nest of sleeping dragons, trying not to give them any more reasons to harm me. But instinct kicked in and I flung myself as fast as I could in the opposite direction, charging through a long hallway and out of a large—and luckily for me—open front door.
I tripped as I ran through and toppled to the ground. I rushed to regain my balance, pushing off the concrete with my palms, when a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me up. I didn’t dare look; instead I screwed up my eyes and started throwing my fists wildly into the air. I’d never had much coordination; today, it seemed, was no different.
He took me by the waist with his left hand and moved his right from off my arm, placing it across my back. I still couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes and I squeezed them tightly shut.
“Hey, hey … look at me.” I recognized Gabriel’s voice. “Francesca, it’s me.”
Reassured, I slowly allowed my eyes to open, and there he was, clutching me tightly. I hadn’t imagined him; he was with me.
“We have to go, there are Vampires inside—they’ll kill us!”
Spurring into action, I tried to grab him by the hand and hurry him away from the danger. He didn’t move.
“The Vampires in this house won’t hurt you. Let me take you back inside, please.”
I flashed him a puzzled look. It took a few moments for me to remember Jonah and these escaped Second Generation Vampires that he had told me about. Still, common sense was telling me to get far away from this house. Going back inside was the last thing I wanted to do. “Let’s maybe just stay here.…” I tried to sound calm. I eyed a shiny Range Rover Sport that sat in the driveway.
“I don’t want you out here, your shoulder isn’t healed yet and the smell might attract unwanted visitors.”
I looked at him blankly; then I understood. “Oh, right…” I lifted his hand with mine and rested it flat on my chest.
He returned my gaze, bewildered, as I slid his hand under my shirt, past my collarbone, and over my shoulder, where he had removed the bullet.
Startled, he withdrew his hand and reached for my wrist; sliding up my sleeve in one swift motion, he stared down. No mark, no Vampire bite, no bruise; nothing. He rushed to my other arm and repeated the action, making sure that he was not mistaken.
“How long have I been out for?” I asked.
His brow dipped in apprehension as he replied, “You’ve been resting a few days now.”
“I didn’t die, you kept my heart beating,” I mused aloud.
“The bullet didn’t hit any arteries or bones. You were lucky,” he said. “But where are your stitches? I bathed your skin last night … they were there and now they’re gone!”
“I only need a few days to heal. It’s all right.” Now I found myself comforting him.
“How are you even here?” he asked.
“I could ask you the same thing. I’ve known you before. I don’t know when you and I were together, but I believe it was a long time ago indeed. And yet, it doesn’t seem that you have suffered from the ages.”
His lower lip quivered; he seemed sad. I waited, letting him contemplate, but he didn’t answer my question. “Let’s go inside, we can sit in the gardens at the back,” was all he said.
Entwining my hand with his, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, he led me back through the country house. For now, at least, it seemed empty of Vampires. He guided me through the kitchen to the garden outside, where he sat me down on a cushioned rattan chair in front of the French doors. He made his way back inside the kitchen and returned with a jug of chilled lemonade and two glasses, pouring one for me.
I took a sip. It was real, fresh lemonade, nothing quite like it. The crisp, bitter flavor danced on my taste buds with a clean, dry finish.
The aroma filled my senses and, against my wishes, memories began to cascade in.
My eyelids started to flutter rapidly as my vision began to blur. I was no longer sitting on the patio with Gabriel. Instead, I was watching myself with him, munching from a picnic on a beautiful green, grassy verge, overlooking a lake. Wearing an almost military-style outfit, complete with a long velvet navy jacket, Gabriel looked incredibly handsome. Where this had been, I didn’t know—when it had been, I could only assume was a very long time ago.
The sun was high and I could almost taste the summertime. We were clinking our glasses together and sipping the same lemonade. I was laughing at something he had said, and blushing. I hadn’t watched this scene play out before; but there it was, within reach.
I moved my fingertips toward the image and the air seemed to undulate, like a pebble skimming over water, creating ripples before my eyes. The dreams and visions I had started to make sense. But I still hadn’t put the pieces together. It was so frustrating, not knowing if what I was seeing was a true memory or merely my imagination. Like the past, which had become distorted and cloudy, my mind was in shadow, unable to separate reality from dream.
I turned my attention to the bushes farther back; something was rustling in among the leaves, spying on Gabriel and me together. Slowly, I moved my focus over to the disturbance. There was a young man holding his knees to his chest, his face hidden. I could only see him from behind; his shoulder-length hair was tied in a low ponytail behind his neck. His hands shook. My eyes were drawn to a large gold sovereign ring. I moved toward him, but came to an abrupt stop. It was as though I had hit an invisible wall.
Something was wrong.
The air seemed to pop and then it was black, empty: a void. The sun was no longer shining, the warmth of the light breeze had vanished, and darkness engulfed me. I froze, too terrified to move.
Thunder pounded through the stillness; something was approaching and fast. I searched for Gabriel and me, but everything about the memory vanished. Just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared.
Out of the nothingness, the creature stepped forward. The sight of me ignited the bonfires that burst from his globes as though he was envisioning the world aflame. I was able to see his stained face. He tilted his head ever so slightly, considering me.