18. DECEIT

A full week had passed with Abby and Adam in Cecina before she finally made him take her back to Volterra. As much as she wanted to stay there with him, she couldn't shirk her duties any longer. Adam walked her to the front steps of the castle before saying goodbye.

"Are you sure you have to go back?" Adam asked with longing eyes.

Abby locked her fingers behind his neck and smiled up at him. "I'll see you again tomorrow."

He placed his hands on her hips and pushed her against the door so that her body was pinned against his. He leaned down and kissed her again. She would have been embarrassed if the entrance wasn't so hidden.

Again, a surge of emotions flushed through her body. She wanted more of him. She pushed herself harder against him and stood on the tips of her toes so that she could kiss him more deeply. Finally she broke away and smiled up at him.

"I love you Adam."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you too. Hurry back to me."

She opened the door and slipped inside. The place just felt darker. It was such a contrast from the life in Cecina with Adam. Only after a few steps into the lobby she heard laughter. She looked up to see Demetri, Felix, and Heidi standing at the mahogany counter. She made her way over to them.

"I'm back." Abby said.

They all laughed again. She didn't know what was so funny.

"Thanks Abby but we've already fed today so you're free to do whatever you please." Heidi said with a smirk. Felix looked as if he was straining to withhold an outburst of laughter.

Abby nodded. "Okay, thank you." She decided to go back into the library and left in that direction.

The three vampires broke out in fits of laughter again.

"I can't believe you're going to do this." Demetri said. "Heidi, you truly are wicked."

She pulled out the letter from behind her back and read aloud in a mocking voice "I know I've given you a lot to consider so hopefully when I return you'll have made a decision. I truly do care for you Abby and I count the seconds until we are reunited. Love Always, Corin."

Felix grabbed his side because he was laughing so hard. "You really aren't going to give her the letter?"

Heidi shrugged. "I'm just simplifying her life for her. She's already in love with that boy Adam. She doesn't need Corin confusing her any further." Heidi giggled. "What are friends for?"

Abby opened the doors to the library once again. She repeated the process of searching for literature written in English. As she browsed the bindings of the books something in Latin caught her eye. "Natura Defero" Abby whispered aloud.

This had to be a book about the craft, Sarah's craft. The very thing that ran through her half-sister's bloodline, down into Jane and Alec. Abby sat down in the leather chair again and curled her legs under her. She opened the book and searched the pages but she didn't understand any of it. She promised herself that when Corin returned she would see if he could translate it for her.

She set the book aside and found a copy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. He had died almost a hundred years ago yet his works still carried on. She had just opened the front book cover when a voice startled her.

"You chose a great one."

Abby looked up to see Sulpicia standing closer than Abby had been aware of. She was peculiarly dressed up in pink ballet clothes. She walked towards Abby on the tips of her toes.

"Ophelia has always been a favorite of mine." Sulpicia sang. She stretched her arms above her head into a graceful arch. "Surely she cannot be blamed for having gone mad. It was all Hamlet's doing." She smiled her razor sharp teeth at Abby.

Abby was stunned and didn't speak a word. With Sulpicia's sweet breath in her face, Abby was mesmerized.

Sulpicia closed her eyes and leaned further in as she inhaled deeply. "You smell like cherry blossoms. So delicious." Sulpicia licked her lips.

"Sulpicia." Athenodora's firm voice interrupted.

Abby snapped out of the trance.

Sulpicia looked annoyed. "I only wanted a small taste."

Athenodora gave her a look that let her know that it was time to go.

Sulpicia smiled at Abby. "Enjoy your book."

The two vampires left the room and Abby realized just how close she had come to being bitten. The idea of it terrified her. She wasn't ready to become one of them or to become one of their meals. Abby grabbed the two books and ran out of the library up to her room. She somehow felt safer there, in the place filled with things that Corin had made for her. She climbed onto her soft bed made of down feathers. She leaned against the headboard as she began to read Hamlet. It was somewhere in the fourth act that she began to nod off.

This time the dream did not take her out to the courtyard but instead was somewhere in the castle. She was walking down one of the long hallways with identical doors on both sides. The hallway seemed to go on forever. Finally, she grabbed the handle of one of the doors and pushed it open.

The room was decorated rather elegantly and the sunlight seemed to filter in through the sheer curtains. Inside the room she recognized a woman sitting in a chair. It was Sulpicia, still dressed as a ballerina. Again, Abby felt frozen in the gaze of the vampire's red eyes.

Then she noticed something that almost made her feel sick. Sulpicia wore a necklace. It was the red jeweled cross. Why was she wearing it now? What was the significance of the cross? Why did it haunt her dreams?

Abby tried to ask these questions aloud but no words escaped her throat. There was only silence in her dreams. Then Abby saw something that was even more horrifying than Sulpicia herself. Behind the chair where Sulpicia sat was a mirror. Inside the mirror Abby saw a blurred dark figure pressed against the glass. It was a woman.

Abby's heart was clenched with fear at the sight and she did the only thing she could do. She began to scream.

When Abby woke up she felt sick. She had just gone almost a week without having any nightmares. Why had they returned to haunt her? What had changed? When she asked the question she immediately knew the answer. It was because she wasn't with Adam. Somehow being with him kept the nightmares away. How she longed for him now. How she wished he could be lying next to her, protecting her from the vampires and ghosts.

The nightmares continued for Abby. Each night they carried the same message yet were slightly different. One night she dreamt of Athenodora and the cross, then of Aro and the cross. What did Caius, Sulpicia, Athenodora, and Aro all have in common with that cross? She felt like someone way laying out clues for her but she didn't see how the puzzle pieces fit together. What mystery was she supposed to solve anyway?

Finally a nightmare came that was somehow different from the others. This time there were three vampires and they were coming for her. She tried to run away but her legs couldn't move fast enough. The three Volturi men were covered in black hooded cloaks with their faces partially hidden. Abby was sure she knew who they were. It had to be Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The one in the center, Aro, carried the red jeweled cross with him.

Finally the three vampires caught up to her. They grabbed her by the arms and she tried to fight them off but it was useless. They were much too powerful for her. In her struggle she somehow managed to push the hoods off of their heads. The first was Aro. The second was Caius. These did not surprise her. They were who she expected. But when she reached the third and pushed his hood back off of his head, the face that was revealed surprised her. It was not Marcus at all, but Demetri. Why was Demetri now involved in the nightmares with the cross? What part did he play in all of this?

In Abby 's waking hours she very badly wanted to ask someone if they had any idea what this all meant but she felt as though she could trust no one. No one except for Corin. So she decided that in addition to waiting for him to come back to translate Natura Defero, she would also have to wait for his return so that he could help her solve the mysteries of her nightmares.

Corin used his full speed as he chased down a bull moose. He leapt through the air and grabbed the beast by its large antlers. He tackled the giant down to the ground and squeezed him around the neck until he submitted. Corin sank his teeth into the creature's neck and hungrily drank its blood.

The animals didn't taste anywhere near as good as humans did but he had to admit that the challenge of the chase was much more fun. When he was through he met back up with Eleazar who had also just finished feeding. Carmen and the other girls were still hanging out back at the cabin.

"What a rush!" Eleazar exclaimed with a smile. He and Carmen were truly enjoying this new lifestyle. It also seemed to somehow strengthen their bond when the killers within them weren't so prevalent.

"Not too bad." Corin said nonchalantly. Then he broke out laughing. "Actually yes, it is quite the rush, isn't it?"

Eleazar was beaming. Corin had never seen him so happy. "You know, when you go back to Volterra you can tell Abby about this alternative way to feed. I got the impression that she wasn't too keen on the idea of killing humans."

Corin nodded. "Yeah, if we ever make it that far."

"What do you mean?" Eleazar asked with concern.

"Well, you know Aro. He may not even let her live if she can't prove herself useful to him." Corin's face was sad now. "I just wish she had some kind of talent so that Aro would keep her. I know she's special, I just can't believe that she doesn't have a potential gift."

Eleazar was hesitant. "Well… That isn't entirely true."

Corin's attention was now completely focused on Eleazar. "What are you talking about, Eleazar? You said that she didn't have any potential!"

Eleazar was now tensed. "Well, yes and no. There is something special about Abby but I'm afraid it won't translate when she becomes a vampire."

Corin ran his hands through his hair. He was trying very hard to remain calm. "Eleazar, what do you know about Abby?"

Eleazar took in a deep breath before speaking. "Abby can receive… visions. They come to her in the form of dreams. I doubt she even knows that they are visions. The only problem with this kind of gift is that once turned into a vampire she will never dream again, thus making the talent null and void."

Corin's jaw dropped. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

Eleazar shook his head. "I was preoccupied with getting Carmen and myself out of Volterra alive. I'm sorry Corin, I just didn't think it was relevant."

Corin's mind was racing now. If he could go back to Volterra and tell Aro that Abby received visions, then perhaps he would keep her on as a mortal a while longer. However, this also posed another problem. If Abby remained a human, how could he ever be with her? Corin was very intelligent, he was a problem solver. He knew that with time he could figure something out. Now he could buy that time by explaining to Aro the value of Abby.

"I have to go." Corin told Eleazar.

"Already? But it's only been a month!" Eleazar said.

"I've learned enough about your new lifestyle. Tell Carmen and the others that I said goodbye." With that, Corin began running west. The thought of seeing Abby again brought him so much hope and joy. He knew that she would have received his letter by now and he was thrilled at the idea of being reunited. Finally, he could tell her in person exactly how he felt.