It was dark in the room, but I could see clear as daylight. It was strange and dizzying. In a way I felt delighted, because everything seemed that much more clear in utter darkness than in broad daylight. That is until Connor switched a light from somewhere. My eyes suddenly burned and I fell to the ground in a crouch. I hissed and cursed out for him to shut it off. He did and chuckled at my expense. Had I not witnessed him rip the head off of a vamp I would have considered punching him, but Connor didn't seem like a man with much patience or mercy. He has yet to kill me, but I'm not putting it past him just yet. I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Since I turned he has been mostly silent and has not told me what his plan was. I wish I could go home, but to be honest I wouldn't know the first thing about surviving as a vamp. Connor was my best bet, but he was supposed to take me to whoever his boss was, yet I was here. In the middle of nowhere with a man capable of murder.
"Get off the floor. Let's go." He ordered and gripped my arm. I yanked myself away from him, but he held on tight. He was a lot stronger than he looked, so I used him to pull myself off the floor and followed him deeper into the room. I finally looked at my surroundings and it was all very rustic looking, with exposed beams and tubing on the ceilings and brick on fashionably rusty pipes. It was a man's home. It must be Connor's place. My concern was why? Why were we here and not in what I imagine was some super top-secret facility with pristine white walls and the smell of antiseptic.
"Geez. You think too much. I can sense it. It's very stressful." He finally spoke in full sentences.
"I thought you were taking me to your leaders." I mocked, placing much emphasis on that last word as my eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Lights coming on. Brace yourself." At least this time he had the decency to warn.
I covered my eyes and waited.
"Alright." His voice was a lot closer. When his fingers touched mine I jerked but kept my eyes closed. "Stay still. Uncover your eyes, but keep them closed." He said, his hands now lowering mines. My eyes were screwed shut, and even that bothered me. The light seemed to slip in through my eyelids despite my efforts. Though I felt like my eyes would melt, my mind flew to the fact that Connor has now done a complete 360. He sounded so compassionate, sweet even. This man had major mood swings and that's quite the claim coming from someone who is genetically predisposed to such a dilemma.
"Sh, sh, sh. One step at a time." He cooed, his voice traveling into my ears, indicating that he was a lot closer then I feel comfortable with. It was then I realized how pleasant he smelled. Well, I thought so before, but it was much stronger now. He had a scent of white musk and it damn near intoxicated me. So much that my body reacted to it. I knew I was leaning forward, but I wasn't expecting to feel him. My body bumped into Connor's, but I couldn't bring myself to care or pull back. My teeth began to hurt, and sharp canines hurt my gums as if they were growing. That feeling snapped me out of my daze and I jumped back and opened my eyes all at once. It had me hissing once again and I cursed.
"Fuck!" After fluttering my eyes a few times my vision adjusted to the lighting. It was dim and didn't hurt as bad as the first time had. What got me nervous was the sight Connor ready to pounce with blade in hand. I was speechless. I was fearful, and it was tiring. Fear is all I've felt for the past God knows how long. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights because Connor relaxed and put away the blade. I still feared for my life because he was dangerous and absolutely capable or anything.
"Calm down. You surprised me. If I wanted to kill you I would have already." He paused and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I should."
"Why haven't you?" I asked, my voice a lot shakier than I would have liked.
"You're a Knight."
"That is my last name. Yes." I said cautiously.
"No." He took a step closer to me and crouched to eye level. At that, I inched back a bit. "You're a knight. You might not know this... Actually, I know you don't, but you come from a long line of knights. Alchemists with transcending abilities beyond your imagination. The things your bloodline can do, I could only dream of. The problem is that you're a bloodsucker now. Who knows if you can even perform."
"Excuse me?" My head was spinning. I couldn't understand a single word coming out of his mouth.
"Think. Chances are the runes are dissolving now that you have changed. What is the last thing you remember?" From his crouch Connor sat in front of me and hovered his hands over me until a transient blue glow covered his hands, leaving me utterly mesmerized. It was incredible how the color swirled between his fingers as he chanted. Something in a language I have never heard before but it filled my ears with its many words. A strange warmth radiated from his hands and it drew me in the slightest, enough to feel the heat just over my cheeks. My eyes closed and the sound of his voice wrapped around us. I was lost. The world around me turned pitch-black, even the glow of Connor's hands from behind my closed eyes disappeared. His voice slowly vanished and it was replaced with another that was all too familiar. My parents were having a conversation on the dining room table from my childhood home. I could hear them, but it was distant like I was listening from across the room. This was real, or rather, a true memory. The problem was that I could not recall it. My parents came into full view and I realized just how young they looked. From behind the stairway wall, I saw what could only be little old me peaking out at my parents as they argued.
"Alicia, be reasonable. She's growing. She deserves to know." My father said, his voice now clear rather than a distant muffle.
"I get that Robert. I hate this as much as you do, but its the only way I know to protect her."
My father sighed in defeat. The conversation must have been a lot longer than this because both my parents looked tired with bloodshot eyes. As for myself? The younger version of me, clumsy as I've always been, stumbled off the last step of the staircase and fell facefirst into my patent's view. They both looked at each other, seeming like they have come to a consensus.
"Lyza doll come here." My father ordered. Tiny me picked herself up and padded over to my father where he reached down and picked up little Lyza and sat her on his lap. My mother moved closer and ran her fingers through little me's unruly hair.
"Honey... you know your father and I love you, right? You know we would protect you with our lives." My mother cooed.
"I know momma," I said in unison with tiny me.
"Then you know what must happen?" She asked. Little me looked horrified. Like she had just been slapped in the face. She squirmed and struggled to get out of dad's lap, but he held on so tight to her arms. Suddenly I could feel the tightness on myself as well, and the same horrifying feeling washed over me.
"No! Momma no! We can beat them! They will understand! Ryker will understand!" But father held on so tight as mother's hands glowed with the same blue as Connor's had right before I fell into utter darkness.
"The Hollow can never have you, darling. We are so sorry. This way you will be protected."
I have no idea how long it had been when Connor finally pulled back. It felt like I was being ripped away from reality. It was so real and the entire scene left me panting, flustered and utterly fatigued. The crazy thing was that Connor looked to be in about the same conditions. Had he seen what I saw? He looked crazed, his eyes swirling with something I couldn't quite pinpoint. He caught his breath and adjusted himself up to a single knee, the rest of him resting on the knee prompt up.
"That was some fucking rune. Whatever you saw your parents sure didn't want you to see. Shit almost sucked me in." His voice was raspy and gutteral, like the entire time he had been fighting off something. His intense eyes fell on me and he leaned in. I realized I was merely a few inches from him and I was trapped under his gaze. "What was it?"
I gulped, trying to smooth down the knot in my throat. When I was able to speak it came out weak and just as exhausted as Connor's.
"Who is Ryker?"