It always struck Estessa with a sense of irony, how the night seemed charged with life, when she knew death stalked near. The very air felt charged, something Estessa sensed in a physical way, the tips of her fingers tingling, even within the protection of her gloves. The time had come, perhaps now or never, and despite a looming fear, she also felt a strange exhilaration of possibility, of hope. She rushed across the immaculate lawn, past the hedge maze and toward the slope that lead to the edge of a forest.
Her slippers felt slick against the dewy grass, and she stumbled and wished she could have planted the pack closer, but she knew it would have been too great a risk. Andrew's men made frequent sweeps of the property and it could have been found.
A strange sense of liberty came over her. Hours had been spent dreaming of escape, and now she ran, her lungs burning with the effort, but a welcomed burn. But Estessa promised herself there'd be no celebration of freedom until she put several miles, states and possibly countries between herself and Andrew DeSurrey.
As her eyes adjusted to the deeper darkness, further from the gala, Estessa could make out the mouth of the forest. That's just what it felt like, she thought. Like a mouth. A gaping maw, waiting for prey. Beneath a pair of weeping willow trees, she'd hidden her stash.
Just make it that far. Just make it that far.
A new sensation spread through Estessa, just before she reached the slope. She slowed and paused, gulping air that chilled her overheated skin. Was this a runner's adrenaline rush? No, she realized. Estessa searched the night. Someone, something was coming. Had she underestimated Andrew?
Not unless Andrew possessed glowing, red, demonic eyes. She saw this in the distance, but it closed in fast. Estessa choked back a cry of fear and ran blindly toward the slope. She half slid, half ran down, down toward the forest nestled in this valley.
Oh, God, the trees still seemed so far away! Had she come this close to freedom, only to be caught by a vampire, after all? Estessa could have sworn she felt something graze her shoulder, like burning cold fingers, touching her skin. She hardly had time to plan her reaction, and could have surprised no one less than herself when she stopped and spun around, balling her gloved hands into fists and assuming a challenging stance.
"Come no closer!" She called out, trying to sound strong, trying to mask her alarm. Her gaze found nothing but darkness this time. But she heard the voice, and it tricked her, seeming to emanate from every direction at once.
Thunder rumbled and lightning veined across the sky, teasing Estessa with a split second of vision.
"Peace, sweetling. It is not my intention to harm..." The voice, seductive as a caress, chuckled darkly. The tips of Estessa's fingers tingled again, and she relaxed her fists only to return circulation. Another brilliant blast of lightning struck so near that Estessa felt it resonate up from the earth. A gusty wind picked up, whipping the fabric of her gown to swish around her. Tendrils of her hair floated in front of her vision.
"To hxll with your intentions," she growled in response. "Show yourself or leave," she demanded, narrowing her eyes, struggling to find the source. Much closer than Estessa had wished, a shadowy mist took the shape of a man. Estessa could only distinguish that he stood tall and broad. His features appeared distorted at first, sending a shiver of fear down her spine.
Estessa backed away as she watched him shimmer into existence, but then another extraordinary thing happened. Suddenly, her fright became overwhelmed by a sense of rage. Nature raged as well, the sudden storm growing in ferocity, whirling leaves and breaking branches. She felt this sensation roar to life inside her, like the storm came from within, so powerful that her head swam with the assault of it. And just as she thought her blood could boil with it no more, the man laughed again, low and mocking.
"Ah, no...this anger is not yours to bear, my sweet. Is it?" As if his words released her from a spell, Estessa felt the build of fury immediately vanish, although the storm did not. She held her head and staggered back, reeling from the intensity.
Come to me, commanded the strange, exotic voice, invading her mind, tearing through her distracted defenses. But as the man extended his hand, Estessa backed away. She heard a distinct growl, but it seemed to come from behind her. The air pulsed with energy, as if an electrical current sparked and threatened to ignite.
I'm warning you, Symon...
Symon? The voice changed, somehow, when it spoke that time into her head, but Estessa feared it was vampiric trickery, trying to take advantage of her confusion.
"No!" Estessa shouted, determined to shut the intruder out. She called on the facade of calm she had relied upon so often before Andrew.
Come to me. Again, inside her head, uninvited. Now.
Pain, bright white and searing, blossomed in Estessa's mind. Even before she could process it, or struggle against it, a blur came from somewhere behind her, tackling into the ethereal stranger before he could take even one step toward her. The pain ceased at once and Estessa meant to run, but something anchored her in place. A downpour began, the rain felt cold and pelting.
Two shadows battled, tangling and roaring, slashing without mercy. Estessa stood transfixed by the violence of it until a harsh command issued to her from one of the fearsome creatures in the brawl.
"Go!"
In a heartbeat, the fray was behind her and, disoriented and unsure how she'd turned in that direction, Estessa made for the swaying, bending trees. Guttural, beast-like sounds warped and echoed into the night. Estessa rushed for the forest, stumbling over a tree root and tearing her gown. Her gloves smeared in mud. Something scraped painfully against her knee, but she ignored it and ran for the willow trees. Beneath the veil of branches, she found the mound of leaves where she'd hidden her bag.
Estessa dug through it, wiping away debris and struggling to hold back damp strands of hair from her eyes. Her breathing sounded gasping and ragged to her own ears. She fumbled with zippers, unable to get a decent hold through the gloves, but she did not dare to remove them.
Calm. Focus.
Estessa paused. In her heightened state, she could not discern between her own inner voice, or that of another, invading. Everything had gone wrong, she felt sure of it, and there would still be Andrew to contend with, if she survived this night. To run from and finally be free of Andrew was one thing...but to escape vampires was another. The gravity of her situation hit Estessa just as she realized that the storm had stopped.