Chapter 2 | The Cabin

Raya

I’m placed on my feet and I try hard not to waver as I adjust to solid ground after all of that running. I look in front of me to see a simple cottage, hidden deep in the forest. The trees all around us help shade the home so that none of it is in direct sunlight. Honestly, that seems like a smart design choice for a vampire.

Where am I? How far am I from home?

I jump when the vampire’s deep voice says, “Come along, child.”

My eyebrows knit together as I watch him walk through the front door of the cottage, leaving the door open for me to follow him.

I know that this is my chance, that I could try to run away, I could hide somewhere in these woods. But, curiosity has piqued my interest. I can’t just walk away now, I need to know what he wants with me, why he was willing to go through all of that effort for me.

I walk through the front door, shutting it behind me, and I watch as I see a flash of the man here and there as he zooms around the house using that vampire speed. A little bit of jealousy surges inside of me, I was never allowed to check if I had that ability, my mom forbade it and after she got married to Trevor, well… it just wasn’t worth the risk.

The vampire calls me from the kitchen and I slowly walk in there, crossing my arms as I stand in the doorway and eye him. He pulls out two sealed cups from the refrigerator and sets one down in front of me. Before I have the chance to ask what it is, he takes a long sip and then smiles politely at me. I can see the traces of blood left on his mouth and coating his teeth.

His red eyes roam over me and he says, “You’ll want to drink that. It will help you as the moon reaches it’s peak tonight.”

I frown, not entirely sure what he’s talking about. I shouldn’t just blindly trust someone that I just met, but… he doesn’t make me feel forced to do anything. He leans back in his seat and tells me, “If I had known of your existence then you never would’ve been living among humans.”

I tilt my head to the side in response, who is he?

I ask softly, “Are you… are you my father?”

He frowns, annoyed that I don’t know exactly who he is. But he nods his head and says, “Your mother made sure I didn’t know about you. Probably because she knew that I wouldn’t want you living among humans and she wouldn’t have wanted to live among vampires in order to raise you. She also couldn’t abandon you.”

I don’t want to react to his statement, but… I can’t help but feel happy hearing these words. I’ve never known a father’s love and knowing that he would’ve wanted me… it makes me feel whole. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.

He takes another long sip from the blood cup and I find myself slowly bringing the straw to my lips. I try not to think of the contents inside as I focus on him instead of the drink. He asks me, “Tell me about you child, what did she name you?”

“My name is Raya Wright.”

His eyebrows furrow deeply and he shakes his head and says, “No, no, no you are not a Wright, my dearest. You are a Locke.”

My eyes widen, I’ve heard of him, he’s one of the oldest and most pure vampire lines. I ask, “You’re Arthur Locke?”

He gives me what I assume was meant to be a charming smile, I can’t help but be distracted by his blood-stained teeth. He holds his arms out as he presents himself, “In the flesh.”

I nod my head and say, “Okay, then I’m Raya Locke.”

“You’re half human, Raya, and although that shouldn’t matter too much because of who I am, I need to know what kind of abilities do you have. Are you sensitive to sunlight? Can you see your reflection? You know, those kinds of things.”

I nod my head slowly, still trying to mentally adjust with where I am and what I’m doing and whether or not I can truly trust this man. I answer, “I’m not very sensitive to sunlight. I mean, I get sunburnt easier than my mom or my stepfamily, but if I lather up in sunscreen or I’m in the shade then it doesn’t matter. I can see my reflection most times, I’ve noticed at night that it’s faded a bit. I’m not sure if that makes sense.”

“Your vampire side is more powerful at night, it’s causing your reflection to fade.” He answers so matter of fact that you would think he’s an expert on vampire-human hybrids. He continues to pester me with questions, “Can you touch silver? Do you have any enhanced abilities?”

“My mom never brought silver around so I don’t know. Enhanced abilities, I can hear pretty well, I heal fast, and I don’t know about anything else. I wasn’t allowed to test certain things like running.”

Arthur frowns, the more I talk, the more distaste he has for my mother. He tilts his head to the side and says, “I didn’t see any fangs, do you not have them?”

Heat rushes to my cheeks, I know he’s not going to be happy with the answer. I say, “My mother shaved them down with silver right after they sprouted. She didn’t want anyone to know what I was.”

He hisses, “I should kill her for that!”

My eyes widen, my heartbeat quickens, worried that I just put my mom in horrible danger. He shakes his head and bangs his fist on the table as he says, “To do that to a child, it’s cruelty.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to think of what I could say to get him distracted from my mother. I ask, “What should I know of being a vampire? Surely your line being as line and pure as it is you must have a special ability.”

His head tilts to the side and he runs his hand through his black salt-and-pepper speckled hair and he asks, “Do you not know who I am? I thought you said you did.”

“I mean, I’ve heard of the Locke Clan, but I don’t know much other than the fact that your line is one of the oldest and purest.”

He shakes his head, huffing as he does and he looks back at me and says, “Your mother really didn’t tell you anything about me?”

I shake my head no and he grumbles, “That blasted female.”

Arthur’s eyes flicker behind me and I glance back to see that he’s looking at a clock. His voice sounds rushed as he says, “We don’t have much time. Not in our current predicament, it might be best for you not to know.” He leans across the table and his voice lowers to a whisper and I don’t understand why, we’re the only two here. But his red eyes lock onto mine and he says, “Just know, you are more powerful than anyone will ever believe.”

He glances down at my cup and pushes it in my hands and snaps, “Drink up.”

I force another gulp down, trying not to think about the metallic taste on my tongue, and I open my mouth to ask him what he’s going on about. But, there’s a powerful knock on the door.