Читать книгу Two for tragedy. Volume 2 - Анна Морион - Страница 5

It was so dark I was afraid to breathe: I was in total darkness, alone with a vampire who wanted to kill me. It was a living nightmare. My back pressed against the door, and I froze, not wanting to pull away.

– You're just in time. I was ready to get angry," Grayson's voice came over my ear.

A loud yell erupted from my throat. Damn vampire! Scared the hell out of me!

– You must be really hungry. – His voice was already far away from me. Grayson seemed to be flying in the darkness, making no sound.

But I couldn't answer him: my throat constricted. The darkness and Grayson and the unknown frightened me and made me breathe hard. I put my hand over my heart, and it was beating very fast.

Suddenly a candle was lit, then a second, a third, a fourth… Ten candles in all. To my relief, the darkness had receded, and now the large dining room was illuminated by the soft, dim light of these life-saving candles. They stood on the table, their glow reflecting on the metal domed lids covering the large plates. There were only two pieces of cutlery, each at the end of the long, wide table.

– Come to me," the vampire's voice came from beside me, and it was as if he'd come out of the darkness.

I obeyed silently and walked over to him. He was wearing a black suit, and his dark hair was nicely styled back. He seemed to be well prepared for the "festivities".

My silk dress was so light that I felt naked, and I adjusted the slippery straps falling off my shoulders.

– Have a seat. – Grayson led me over to the table and sat me in a soft chair, then sat down at the other end of the table.

– Can I…" I started timidly, afraid to say what I was asking.

– Can what? – The vampire asked in a sweet voice.

– Can I turn on the light?

– Who are you talking to? If it's to me, I have a name.

His voice was calm, but I could feel it: he was angry.

– B-Brandon? – I said, stammering. His, a name like a blade, cut my tongue.

– Yes, Viper?

– Would you mind turning on the lights? – I asked.

The vampire sat across from me, but it was like he was present in every corner.

– Why? I find the dark very romantic," Grayson said softly, and I heard something glass tinkle, but I couldn't see what – because of the rather dim candlelight and the length of the table, I could only see Grayson's silhouette, and his voice came to me muffled, echoing.

– I'm scared," I whispered, squirming in my chair.

– Scared? – The vampire heard my whisper and, rising from his chair, slowly made his way toward me. – Are you afraid of me? – he asked ominously.

– You already know that! – I exclaimed, panicking at his approach. I jumped up from my chair and backed away, not knowing what was on his mind or why he was coming toward me.

– Am I really that scary? – Grayson continued his interrogation in a sneaky tone, coming closer and closer to me.

– Yes! And you want to kill me! – I answered honestly, my voice shaking.

– I'm just trying to amuse you. I don't like seeing you so scared.

– You don't have to entertain me! Just leave me alone! Lock me in the dungeon, kill me, just leave me alone! – I whispered, horrified to realise that there was nowhere to retreat-I had my back against the wall, and Grayson was right next to me.

His silhouette, lit by the yellow light of the candles, was so ominous that my voice dropped. My body shook with a fine tremor. My breathing quickened. My heart pounded frantically. As the vampire approached me, I leaned against the wall with force. Grayson towered over me, and I had to lift my chin to look into his face, though it was hidden by the darkness. I felt small and insignificant and defenseless, because I knew that one blow from his hand and I'd be dead.

– Why are you afraid of me? – Grayson asked quietly. He touched my arm with his icy palm, then it slid up my shoulder, crawled up my neck, and stopped on my cheek.

– You're scaring me! – I squirmed, feeling a strong revulsion at his touch. My body tensed with terror.

– But you're not afraid of Cedric?

I couldn't answer him with words, so I shook my head negatively.

– Then why do you think I'm so scary?

But I remained silent and continued to breathe loudly and frequently.

– I can hear your heart beating loudly, like a bird in a cage," Grayson whispered in my ear. – And I know that when I brought you that dress, you wondered where I got it. Didn't you? It's just that you're not my castle's first guest, and this dress belonged to a young aristocrat who ran away with me from her mother's funeral.

"God, so it's a funeral dress! And he killed her!" – ran through my head.

– She was very beautiful, even for a mortal, and it felt good to kill her. – His beautiful ingratiating tone was even more terrifying than when he raised his voice at me. – Remember, Viper, if I ever hear you call me by any other name, you're on your own. You don't like being treated like furniture, do you?

– I'm sorry! – I tearfully exclaimed.

– Do you promise me?

– Yes!" I barely whispered, but that little bit was worth the effort.

He took his palm away from my cheek, clapped his hands together, and the dining room immediately lit up with a bright light that almost blinded me. I blinked quickly and saw that the vampire was already sitting in his chair.

But how? How did he do it so fast… Could Cedric really do all of this too?

– Sit down, or the food will get cold, and I don't want you to starve to death," the vampire smiled at me.

I saw that Grayson had already removed the lids from the dishes on my side of the table. I slowly made my way to my chair and sat down, but I didn't dare touch the beautiful cutlery.

– What did Morgan tell you? – The vampire asked suddenly. He sat back in his chair, his gaze fixed on me.

– About what? – I didn't understand.

– Don't play silly. About us.

– About vampires? Not much… Almost nothing," I lied, so as not to give away my lover.

– What kind of things? – Grayson asked.

– All I know is that you're immortal and you kill people… Well, and you keep it from humans that you drink our blood.

– You expect me to believe that?

– But it's true! Cedric is afraid to push me away. He says I don't need to know.

– That sounds very believable, Viper, but I know you're lying.

– I'm not lying! – I exclaimed in desperation.

– Why aren't you eating? – suddenly asked the vampire.

– I'm not hungry. – I had no desire to touch food.

– If you won't eat, I'll feed you myself. – Grayson's voice was cold: the tone of his voice frightened me, because I'd already realised that this vampire was the kind of vampire who always kept his promises.

He left me no choice: I put the first dish I could find on my pretty white plate, picked up my fork and knife, and silently began to eat. I was so hungry, it turned out, that I was glad to be able to satisfy my hunger with a tasty baked potato with some white sauce.

Grayson grinned at me.

– See, I knew you were hungry. You haven't eaten anything in almost two days," he said with a smile.

– Where did all this come from? – I asked. – You didn't make it yourself!

– Of course I didn't! – Grayson laughed and got up from his chair. – The cook from the nearest hotel was here while you slept, but I don't suppose you'd mind some red wine? You humans are such impractical and predictable creatures. – He took the bottle in front of him, poured the wine into two beautiful glasses and took them and headed towards me. One glass must have been meant for me. – I'll have some too, if you don't mind. – The vampire took a sip from the glass and stopped beside me, placing the second glass in front of me.

I ignored him and enjoyed the long-awaited meal, but the fork in my hand hung in the air as I glanced absently at the glass the vampire offered me, and then at him.

Blood. He was drinking blood.

A vomiting reflex swept over me. I threw the cutlery on the table, jumped out of my chair, and ran to the door, but it was locked.

He was drinking blood! He was offering it to me! Oh, my God, it was someone else's blood! Human blood!

– Yes, Viper, that's the beauty whose dress you're wearing," I heard him say in a calm, mocking voice.

The food I'd just eaten rose to my throat, and I had to cover my mouth with the palm of my hand to keep from throwing up right there in the dining room.

– Her blood is amazing. Do you want to try some? – Grayson appeared next to me and held out his glass to me.

– I'm going to throw up! – I burst out.

– Fine, you may go. But I really hurt that you're refusing to have dinner with me. – His voice was just ice cold.

The vampire unlocked the door, and I ran quickly to my room, stumbling as I went and tangling in my horrible mourning dress. Without fail, I locked myself in the bathroom, leaned over the toilet, and threw up.

"A monster! Could it be Cedric too… Yes, because Cedric drinks blood and kills people too! That's how he behaves in his castle in Prague! That's what he hides from my eyes! What an ugliness! What cruelty!" – I thought.

Soon my stomach was completely empty, and I was sitting on the cold tile next to the toilet, sobbing and wiping my mouth with a towel I'd grabbed before I threw up. Tears were streaming from my eyes. After sitting on the floor crying for quite a while, I found the strength to walk up to the washbasin and rinse my mouth copiously. My head was dizzy and splitting, my body was weak, and my eyes were blurred.

Suddenly I remembered that I was still wearing the dress of the girl Grayson had killed, and a deep self-disgust came over me. I rushed into the room, took off the cursed dress, threw it into a corner, and, rummaging through my suitcase, put on a pale pink, knee-length dress. Then, in physical and mental exhaustion, I lay down on the bed and curled up.

"He drinks blood from glasses… And my blood will splash in the bottle too. Wow, he keeps human blood in bottles like wine. So he exsanguinates his victim completely!" – came into my head, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight so I wouldn't see the image of Grayson drinking blood from a beautiful crystal glass.

I cried quietly, and then darkness enveloped me. When I woke up, it was about ten o'clock in the morning.

As I hurriedly opened the windows, I heard birds singing outside, chasing away the terrible memories of last night's dinner with Grayson from my mind. The morning greeted me with grey clouds, thin as lace, gradually covering the sky, but I breathed in the fresh air with pleasure, and the memories of the terrible night before seemed to be erased from my mind, as if it had all been a dream. The sun's rays, occasionally breaking through the clouds, cheered me and gave me hope for the best. The scent of fresh flowers wafted to me, and as I leaned over the stone window sill to breathe in their heavenly fragrance, I smiled to find that there were lush rose bushes growing beneath the windows of my room. But remembering the unfortunate dress, I glanced at the corner of the room where I had thrown it, and saw that it was still there. Then I looked again at the park and was surprised to realise that Grayson's car was missing.

Then he had gone, and I could have escaped!

A mad rush of joy came over me, and I ran for the door.

"No! If I run away, that psychopath will announce Cedric's indiscretion to everyone! No, I can't leave," The thought made me smile bitterly and slow my step.

The vampire was taunting me with freedom. He knew that even if he left me alone, unlocked in the castle and gave me a chance to save my life, I would still stay, choosing to willingly sacrifice myself for Cedric.

The door to my room was unlocked and I was free to leave and look around the castle. Suddenly, my empty stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that it had disposed of all the food it had received at the midnight dreadful meal yesterday.

"I need to eat. I need to find some food," I decided and was about to head to the dining room when I suddenly heard a familiar tune.

I glanced over to where the sound had come from: on the dresser, in front of the mirror, was my mobile phone, the one Cedric had given me and Grayson had taken away.

Grayson had given it back to me? Why had he left it behind? Though…

The answer to that question came immediately– Grayson was testing me. He was testing how much I loved Cedric, and whether I could lie to him, convincing him that I was okay while my own life was no longer my own.

Still, I was overjoyed to hear my lover's voice. I quickly grabbed the phone and flopped down on the bed, pressing my finger forcefully on the screen.

– Cedric! – I exclaimed, barely holding back tears of joy.

– Viper! Where are you now? Are you okay? – Cedric's voice came through the phone, and I was suddenly afraid I wouldn't be able to contain my emotions and burst into tears.

No, you can't cry! Cedric must think I'm happy!

– I'm fine! I want to go to the beach today and see the ocean," I started to weave my lie. It was terribly hard to lie to the person I loved most. A vampire, actually.

– That's a wonderful idea. I'm glad you're doing well. What hotel are you staying at? – Cedric asked softly, and I was confused: I didn't know any of the names of the hotels in Rio de Janeiro.

– The one you booked me a room at, you know how bad I am at that sort of thing," I found myself remembering that Cedric had booked me into the best hotel.

– Were you being met? You should have been.

– Yes, I was met wonderfully! I was picked up in a car, and my room is gorgeous. You can see the ocean from here! – With a hint of fake joy, I lied.

– Viper, are you sure you're okay? – Cedric asked in an unexpectedly caring tone.

– Of course I am! I'm totally fine! Why?

– You sound strange.

– I just woke up," I said. – I was so tired yesterday that I slept all day today. How are you?

– I'm fine. Markus's wedding is in three days.

– But they said the wedding was on the eighteenth of August! – I was surprised at the rush.

– Yeah, but it's moved up, and all our family and friends are already here. But let's not talk about that. I don't want to hurt you with all this talk.

The reminder of the great Czech vampire hunt brought back the image of Grayson drinking blood, and I shuddered again at the memory and the revulsion-I thought immediately of how many people would be killed.

– Cedric, please don't kill anyone on the hunt," I asked quietly. – I can't bear the thought.

– I can't promise you that," Cedric said in a serious tone. – I will need to kill.

– Then don't kill as much as the others," I whispered, and when I felt I didn't want to talk to him anymore, I added: – I'm sorry, but I'm awfully hungry. I've just ordered myself a load of delicious things. Will you call me later?

– Yes, of course. Enjoy your meal.

– Thank you! You too! – I sarcastically blurted out. I hastily disconnected the call.

Thanks to Grayson, I could see the vampire in full view: a brutal, strong, silent killer who knew no pity. And Cedric is the same. He kills people and drinks their blood. He's as ruthless a killer as Grayson.

But Grayson was right: no matter how much of a monster Cedric was, I loved him. But I'll never see him again. Well, at least he'd be safe.

I showered, washed my hair, brushed my teeth, drank some tap water, cleaned myself up, and headed to the dining hall. After yesterday's torture, I knew it was on the third floor. Why the third floor? Strange, because in all houses the dining room is always on the ground floor.

But when I went upstairs, I found no food in the dining room: the table was empty. So I looked for the kitchen: I was getting hungrier and hungrier. With difficulty I found the kitchen and was glad to see the fridge, but there was no food in it. I was sickened by what I saw: the fridge was full of dainty glass bottles that were probably filled with human blood.

I slammed the door in my heart and hurried away. I needed fresh air after my gruesome discovery, so I headed resolutely for the park. As I walked down the hall to the front door, I glanced at one of the walls, and a large wooden door nestled between two black marble columns caught my eye. I was immediately filled with a mad desire to see what lay behind that door, and though I had never been an adventurer, I made my way to the mysterious door. The door was an imposing, heavy shutter with a handle shaped like the paw of a beast of prey. I held my breath and hesitantly touched the handle.

What was behind it? Such a heavy and large door had to be hiding something forbidden, hidden from view.

My attempts to open the door came to nothing – it was terribly heavy and as if it didn't want to reveal its secrets to me. But I didn't give up: I grabbed the handle with both hands, put my foot against the wall, pulled, and the door opened with a soft creak. It was a dark corridor with no hint of light behind it, but I decided to follow Grayson's example and clapped my hands, and a bright electric light appeared in the corridor, so I could see where I was.

As I stepped timidly into the suspicious room, I hugged my shoulders: the air in the long corridor before me was icy cold. I was afraid to go forward, but I forced myself, thinking that, while my tormentor was away, I could examine his castle. So I bravely but slowly walked down the corridor and saw what must have been left over from a very long time ago: on either side of the corridor stretched small cells fenced with heavy iron bars.

"My God, are these really the dungeons I'm supposed to be in?" – I cringed at the thought.

The corridor was so ancient that its walls were covered in moss and the bars were covered in threads of rust.

Eager to get a closer look at one of the cells, I walked up to it, but saw nothing but bare walls and a handful of dirty rags in the corner. Suddenly, I was astonished and horrified to see these rags move, and from under them a dishevelled, dirty girl sprang out-she rushed with a loud cry to the bars and seized me by the arm.