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Chapter 536
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 537
I HAD BEEN A VAMPIRE for nearly a century when I met Gabriela. I still remember that autumn night as clearly as any in my long existence. Ricard and I were hunting along a country road that twisted among the wooded foothills of the mountains of what is now Austria. Thin, wispy clouds drifted in front of a strikingly full moon, at times cloaking it in a gauzy film and at other moments floating aside to reveal the golden orb’s full luminosity. The wind blew out of the north, carrying the chill air of the mountains with it. As usual, we smelled our quarry before we saw them: two humans, one male and one female, approaching from the east. Pairs were always our preferred targets, since they provided one victim for each of us and required no needless killing of any witnesses. Their scent came with the smell of horses. From the sound of the hoof beats and the clackety-clack of wooden wheels on the hard-packed dirt, we knew the humans were traveling in a wagon or a carriage. Ricard an
Leesa's Advent Chapter 538
Gabriela’s death devastated me. I felt like a part of me had perished with her, like someone had reached into my gut and plucked out a piece of my insides. So great was the pain that for the first time since I had become a vampire, I began to wish the transformation had never occurred. Had I remained human, I never would have met her, and thus never would have lost her. What good was eternal existence when it meant unending years of pain and sorrow?Were it not for Ricard, I’m certain I would have gone on a killing rampage, totally uncaring for my own safety, wreaking havoc across the land until the populace finally destroyed me and put an end to my suffering. Ricard would not allow it, though.At first, he restrained me by force, using his far greater strength to hold me in check, despite the bites and gashes I managed to inflict upon him in those early days and nights. Later, he held me back through reason, advising me that no matter how much I hurt right the
Leesa's Advent Chapter 539
The new land provided everything Ricard and I had hoped for. Untold miles of forest and hills to explore, isolated farms, small towns and villages, and a few growing cities for when we felt the need to prowl the streets of a more urban setting. We fed where and when we wished, making no distinction between the dark-skinned native peoples and the newly arrived immigrants from our former homeland. As Ricard had predicted, America was for the most part a savage land. Only in the cities did we bother to hide our kills. Otherwise, we let the deaths be chalked up to the warring tribes and wild animals that filled the sparsely populated sections that made up most of the country.The more southern areas near where we had come ashore turned out to be too hot and sunny for our tastes, especially in the summer, so we gradually worked our way northward. We spent time enjoying the bustling cities of Philadelphia and New York before drifting north once again into New England, whose clime we found m
Leesa's Advent Chapter 540
One night, I stood concealed in the dark shadows near the corner of an empty house used for office space on the campus of Weston College. Several houses away, a throng of noisy students milled about in the backyard, the overflow from a party at what I knew to be a fraternity house. I watched them idly, not hunting now, for I had not been granted permission to do so. I had fed only a week or so before, and it would be some time before I was allowed to take a human again.Up until now, no one in the yard had piqued my interest—until a new arrival caught my eye. Tall and blond, she stood by herself a few feet from the back steps. She was not classically beautiful, but lovely enough to draw my attention. Something about her tugged at me as I studied her, making me want to get closer. Some combination of lust and hunger, for sure, but different in a way I could not describe. I felt a brief pang of loss and pain. I had not been drawn to a human like this since Gabriela, though this new fema
Leesa's Advent Chapter 541
I waited a few weeks to see if my interest in Leesa might fade. I did not dwell on her; rather, I let my experience with her percolate inside me, not forcing my thoughts to take any particular shape. I knew too few details about her to make any real judgments, so I just let my mind wander where it would, hoping something might come of it. When nothing did, I decided it was time seek her out again, thinking perhaps a second encounter would be less enthralling than the first and might rid me of the feelings gnawing inside me. How wrong I was!A thick overcast sky offered the perfect chance to return to the college. With Leesa’s spoor embedded in my brain, I knew I would be able to find her without much difficulty. Giving it no further thought, I took my leave of our caverns and headed to Middletown. I wandered the campus for twenty or thirty minutes before my sensitive nostrils picked up her trail. When I discovered where she was that afternoon, I couldn’t help smiling.Professor Clerva
Leesa's Advent Chapter 542
“No way to tell until the fangs come out, that is,” a guy in front remarked, drawing more laughter.Professor Clerval chuckled. “Well, there is that. But it’s probably a bit late at that point. No pun intended.”The class laughed again. I turned toward Leesa to see if she found the joke funny. She had a smile on her face, but it faded when she raised her hand. I watched her draw a deep breath before she spoke, and could tell that speaking up in a group like this was not easy for her. All of which fit nicely with my earlier impression of a shy young woman, uncomfortable with attention. Her limp may have contributed to that, but I was pretty sure there must be more to it. I wondered what it might be.Professor Clerval extended a finger toward her. “Yes?”“Have you ever heard of a one-fanged vampire?” she asked.To say her question startled me would be a major understatement. Very few humans knew about the one-fangs, or grafhym, as we call them. The creatures are very rare—where on earth
Leesa's Advent Chapter 543
For several hundred years, our coven has used the perpetual night of our caverns to avoid the hated sun and to remain hidden from the ever-increasing human population as well. Cut eons ago under the tree-covered hills on the eastern side of the Connecticut River by a now-vanished underground waterway, the caverns provide the perfect hideaway. Thousands of hours of labor have shaped the various chambers to suit our needs—but what are hours, or even years, to those of us who have all eternity stretching out before us?The largest of the natural chambers serves as our Council chamber. It’s a vast natural amphitheater more than one hundred feet across with a ceiling almost thirty feet high at its tallest point. Rows of stone benches carved from the uneven floor can hold the more than three score vampires who make up our “family.” The benches face seven seats hewn directly out of the limestone wall. When our entire coven gathers, the members of the High Cou
Leesa's Advent Chapter 544
Leesa’s features tightened. Despite my attempt to keep things light, I was afraid my words might have made her aware of how alone we were out there.“So, what brings you out on a night like this?” she asked.I had just told her how much I liked the rain, but I didn’t want to make her feel bad by calling attention to it. I was more than happy to have the conversation continue on a surface level for awhile.“I like walking in the rain,” I repeated. “It’s so quiet and peaceful, especially at night.” I looked at the building behind her, pretending to notice it for the first time. “Is that your dorm?”She took a moment to respond. I would have given anything to know what was going through her mind right then. Was she worried about letting
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