Despite the sweet thoughts that she had slept with, the nightmare followed her, making her sweat under the light blanket she slept inside.
"Why are you hesitating, young one?" The vampire's words were sickeningly sweet as they reached towards her, a mere whisper on a cold night. "I know you crave this."
Eve stared at the red-haired woman in fear. Her fangs had already pushed down her gums, protruding from her ruby-red lips, stained with Meredith's blood. She took a step back, shaking her head, denying the accusation that was thrown at her.
Without wasting another second, she turned around and ran, her little steps becoming longer as her body grew, aging with every single moment. The woman's laughter pierced through the cold air as she discarded her mother's body, disappearing from her sight.
Eve knew from experience that it was not over. It was never over until the woman would catch her, drag her by her hair, and force her fangs into her flesh. Yet, she didn't want to give up. Not now, when she knew that she still had a fighting chance. Maybe if she kept running, just maybe, the dream would shift in her favor.
This time, she saw it coming. She saw the woman appear in front of her, an evil smirk pulling up the corner of her lips. But she couldn't stop herself. Her legs kept taking her forward until, at last, she slammed into the arms of the creature at full speed.
"Help"' She screamed, her voice cutting through the silence of the night.
Eve stilled for a moment. Her voice. Her voice was finally coming out of her mouth! When the woman's arms wound around her waist, her body went limp as always. Yet she didn't care.
"Stop resisting." The woman whispered, inhaling her scent as she rubbed her nose against the side of her neck. "Allow me to pleasure you, Eve."
Eve turned to face the woman, a smile spreading across her lips. "Your days are numbered even if you have me now."
The woman smirked, ignoring as she turned, sliding down her chest before sinking her teeth into her flesh. Eve closed her eyes, throwing her head back as a gush of lust spread across her veins, eliciting a moan from her chest.
When she woke up, the room was dark. Eve sat up, feeling thirsty. She looked around but saw that she was alone. It seemed like she had woken up too soon. As she slid out of the bed, she remembered that the feast must still be going on. Everyone should still be working, she thought, bending down sleepily to retrieve her water glass.
But the moment she picked it up, Eve knew that it was empty. With a sigh, she stashed it in the little pocket of her dress, walking out the room lazily, wanting to go back to sleep. Her half-closed eyes slid over the hanging lanterns on the wall that were placed a few feet apart.
Even in her sleepy state, she wondered why there were no moths hovering around it. Back when she used to stay in the barn in St Yvon, every time she used to light a lantern, all the moths in the room would fly to it. Much like how her mind was always swaying towards the regent, she thought with mixed feelings.
Suddenly, she saw a shadow flash in front of her, flickering the flame in the lantern only a few feet away from her. Eve stopped in her path, her eyes widening as all vestiges of sleep left her body. What was that? She wondered, licking her drying lips nervously.
"Meredith, darling!" A sickeningly sweet voice called out from somewhere ahead.
Eve took a step forward, and another until she was running, her heart thumping against her chest nervously. Was it her? Was it really her? Or was she being paranoid? But the questions stopped the moment she stepped into the adjacent corridor.
"Sybil, darling!" A woman exclaimed, pulling a red-haired woman into a tight embrace. "Where were you?"
It was then that her world came crashing down. There was no mistaking it this time. The woman in front of her was her mother, although, for some reason, her beautiful brown hair was now a shade of midnight black, coupled with her flawless pale skin contrasting against the red silk of her dress.
Her knees buckled at the sight of the vampire of her nightmares leaning in to place a kiss on Meredith's cheek. What was happening? Why was-
"Come, let me show you something." The woman her mother had seconds ago called Sybil said, wrapping her hand around her waist, pulling her in the opposite direction.
The two slipped into a crowd of well-dressed men and women who were moving through the hall and into the garden hall that crowded with guests. As their figures almost vanished, the woman turned back, a corner of her ruby-red lips turned up into a smirk.
"Mother!" Eve screamed, shooting forward without a second thought.
She felt every thump of her foot on the ground, heard every beat of her heart in her ears. It was too slow. She was too slow, she thought, desperately pushing herself to move faster. As she did, her hair came undone, her glass flew out of her pocket.
A few guests gasped, squealed, and shouted angrily as she pushed through them, uncaring of the consequences she would be going through once the matron sees the commotion. When she finally managed to emerge out of the crowded room and its heavy air heady with mixed scents of perfume, she found herself out in the open.
She paused, looking around at the tall hedges of grass before her, curving and spinning into a maze. She remembered the matron's warning. The mazes were designed to keep in crazed wolves. Even those creatures with their heightened sense of smell would find it hard to find their way out of the place.
Someone like her stood no chance of coming out sane. She doubted that anyone would even look for her if she were to go missing for a few days. Maybe Litty would, she thought, hesitating at the sight of the snow-covered path before her.
Eve shivered, rubbing her palms against her arms vigorously. If she were to get lost, it wouldn't take her much time to succumb to hypothermia, she thought, inhaling the cold air. But the moment she saw the flash of red somewhere ahead, all her hesitation vanished.