Page 138 of Winterfall Destiny

I spoke to Andrei briefly yesterday evening. He’s avoiding people, which worries us. After Tobias’s time with me, he went to Andrei and the pair sat in the lounge room talking for hours, stopping my chance to do the same.

At least Andrei’s communicating and not hiding—for now. The distance he keeps from us all worries me, especially after his comments about pressure within him exploding. What keeps Andrei away from the others as much as from me? Concern because he doesn’t understand his capabilities or how close he is to the First now?

As Andrei was never an open, relaxed person, his behaviour isn’t unusual but despite him committing to our cause, he’s not a hundred percent here. Yesterday, after his disastrous outburst, is the first time Andrei’s spoken candidly to everybody about his mental situation. Yet afterwards he withdrew straightaway to his room, claiming exhaustion, and never joined us for dinner despite my attempt to drag him downstairs.

This morning, I wander from room to room searching for Andrei but he’s missing. Missing. My heart rate increases with every minute I can’t find him. Andrei wouldn’t leave but what if the First took him? He doesn’t reply when I text him and I take another panicked circuit of the house.

As I step outside in the rain, I push away thoughts the First abducted him. No. He must be outside if he isn’t in the house. But why can’t I sense his presence? It’s not unusual for Andrei to wander away on his own these days, but he rarely leaves the estate alone. Today, he must’ve because I scout all the places I’d find Andrei outdoors. Nothing. The rain batters my yellow jacket, testing the limits of the waterproof and my blue pants soak through.

The Winterfall house’s location isn’t the best; sun lovers should choose somewhere different to live than the north of England. This morning, clouds replaced the view of the hills and mountains, as if they don’t exist, the world around soaked by rain and engulfed in grey. No sunshine for Andrei; less reason for him to walk outside.

My stomach knots.

I head to the summerhouse last, but if Andrei waited for me there, he would’ve replied to my message with something suggestive. There’s nobody in the cosy building apart from me dripping water onto the wooden floor beside the cushioned wooden bench.

Andrei where are you? I’m in the summerhouse

I half-smile to myself. If he gets that message, surely he’ll respond. I pull off my damp coat then absentmindedly take hold of the book I read the day Andrei returned. Dracula. My cool fingers dampen the pages as I flick through. How ironic that I never read or watched horror movies in the past, and had zero interest in TV shows filled with vampires and werewolves. Or witches.

Tessa obsessed about vampires in our early teens, which is one reason I worried what might happen at the Halloween dance when Andrei tagged along. Back then, I knew enough about Andrei’s past to know that he’d used his looks and charms as a vampire with human girls before.

How was I to realise Andrei was the one with the obsession but not for human blood? For me.

I shiver from more than the soaking when the First’s presence comes into my circle of awareness. Or Andrei? I’m still unable to differentiate between Andrei and the creature. As the heartbeat grows closer, I step out, hoping this is a repeat of the day Andrei returned.

Yes and no.

Andrei pauses at the edge of the clearing surrounding the summerhouse, but he isn’t smiling, neither does he walk across to me. Bizarrely, the person who destroyed lives yesterday holds a bunch of sunflowers in his left hand. He’s shaking and watching me with wide eyes.

“Andrei?” I whisper.

Not looking at me. Andrei’s looking through me. He’s soaked, no hoodie, just a black T-shirt stretching damp across his chest accentuating every dip and curve of his muscle. Rain flattens hair against Andrei’s face, his skin paler in the gloom. He shivers like someone would trapped in a rainstorm, but cold and wet never bothered him as hemia and wouldn’t now.

I step towards him, but Andrei doesn’t move or register me, the sunflowers now held downwards by his side. As I touch Andrei’s face, I snatch my hand back. He’s burning up, much warmer than Ash’s unnatural heat. And his eyes. They’re like quicksilver.

Andrei matches Tobias’s description of the night he took the blood.

No. A familiar fear wrenches at my heart; the one that pulled at me every time I walked into Andrei’s room as he lay unmoving. I can’t go back there. I’d never cope a second time, not now we’ve tasted a new freedom together.

“Are you bleeding?” I ask in a trembling voice as rain trickles down my face. “Have you vomited?”

Andrei blinks at me. “Maeve.”

My voice rises in pitch. “What’s happening to you?”

“I don’t feel right,” he says hoarsely.

“We should go back to the house. Tobias can help.” I take a step closer, and we don’t touch but the heat from Andrei meets the ice spreading through my veins.

“No!” Andrei steps back, then pauses and frowns at the sunflowers. “I bought these. From town. I shouldn’t have walked into town,” he says emotionlessly.

“What did you do?” I ask in horror.

“Nothing. But I don’t belong in that world.” He winces. “I don’t belong to the day.”

“The sun’s hurting you?” I grab the sunflowers and drag him by the hand into the summerhouse. “Has the ability…” I push damp hair from my face. “Worn off?”

“No. Maeve.”

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