Page 14 of Taken By the Vampires
“I remember a barmaid named Betty. With the big…” Davon juggled his hands in front of his chest.
Cassius pointed a knife at Davon. “I’ll have you know Betty knew how to get extra coin out of every traveler’s purse. Savvy, that was our Betty.”
“Traveler? Purse? Didn’t your inn have electronic payment readers?” I wondered if it was as remote as this place was.
Cassius chuckled. “At that stage, I only trusted what I could hold in my hand.”
“I guess that’s one way to do business.” I thought of the electronic accounts for the farm. There was something to be said for cash. If the Wi-Fi was down, I’d have no access to any money at all. Especially when dealing with my one and only overseas customer. For the farm it was not a luxury, but rather a necessity.
I snapped off a piece of crispy bacon to take my mind off the farm. I only hoped Mom had help feeding the animals. The townsfolk still liked her. It was just me they had a problem with. The bacon melted in my mouth. “I have to admit, it is nice to have someone cook me a meal.”
“Someone should cook for you every day,” Davon said.
“There’s no one at home but Mom and me, and she’s not well. I do the chores she’s not capable of doing.” Which was most of them, but I didn’t need to elaborate. “That’s why I need to get back to her, or at least call her to let her know I’m all right. I’m all she’s got.”
A heavy silence descended on the room. Davon looked sad, Cassius hung his head, and Xander – well, it was hard to tell. His expression had turned stony. My stomach grew heavy. “What is it?”
“We told you we have no connection to the outside world, but we will do our best to let your mother know you’re alive and well,” Xander said, his face lifting. “I give you my word.”
A force of energy vibrated around me. I gasped and the fork clattered to the plate. I couldn’t help but feel something momentous shift in the very air. And looking at Davon and Cassius’ shocked faces, I knew it wasn’t just my imagination.
Chapter Nine
“Xander…” Davon spoke.
“I am not stupid. I know what I promised. And that is enough said for now. There is much at stake.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he disappeared from the kitchen, leaving me staring at an empty doorway.
“What was that all about?” It was clear there was something going on way above my head.
“Finish your meal, Ella, and concentrate on getting better. You’ll need to be well for your mother,” Cassius said.
Davon stiffened.
“Davon?”
Surely Davon would explain what was going on. He finally looked at me, his blue eyes blazing, his expression strained. My heart thumped in anticipation. “Ella…”
Something heavy was placed on the counter before me. I grabbed it with both hands, bringing it to my chest, a wave of calm washing through me. “My Grim…my book! Thank you, Xander.”
He nodded his head once and sat at his chair at the island without a word. I was learning more and more that he was very much the strong, silent type.And handsome, as well. Part of me wanted him to pick me up and place me on his lap as he had last night. There was just something about him.As soon as that thought flittered in my brain, I shoved it aside. I had to keep my head straight.
I ran my hands over the well-worn leather, the weight welcome in my hands. I opened the pages, amazed that there was no damage, despite its tumble down the mountainside with me. “It’s in surprisingly good condition. Not even a torn edge!”
“A book like that doesn’t get damaged easily,” Cassius said.
I frowned, “It’s old. It should be very fragile. But I do look after it.” Come to think of it, the Grimoire had always been sturdy, even when my grandmother read it with me when I was young. I’d never given it another thought since I took the best of care with it, but despite its age, the edges were crisp, the pages smooth and unwrinkled.
I set it back on the counter. The covers parted, opened to a page I’d never seen before. I couldn’t help the gasp that fell from my lips.
“What is it, Ella?” Davon asked.
It was a while before I could speak. “I…I’ve never seen this page before. But that can’t be possible. I’ve read every single page over and over again since I was a child.” I ran the tip of my finger over the title, frowning. It was just too strange. I couldn’t have missed this page. It was impossible, yet there it was.
“Vampire” written with delicate, decorative script. Quite beautifully.
Vampires, also known at Vampyres, are creatures of the damned. They exist on the blood-life of others, needing those with a beating heart to fuel their own. They drink the life essence from others through their sharp canine teeth, which descend into long, extremely sharp points when they feed.
Vampires have been in existence since the beginning of time and increased in population during medieval times, predominantly throughout Europe. They are long-lived, often for a thousand years.
