Chapter 11

The journey from North Adelaide to her home was not a long one, but the heavy silence during the drive weighed down on Darci, making every moment pure torture. She was lethargic, her body urging her to lie down and do nothing, and yet she knew she would get no sleep this night. Her mind was a whirlpool of thoughts: acceptance and denial, belief and incredibility. Her world had been turned upside down in a matter of hours, and she no longer recognised it. She no longer recognised herself either. Was she still the person she used to be? Had she changed? Or had she simply not truly known herself until tonight?

She was both grateful and anxious when they finally pulled over in front of her unit, grateful to be back somewhere familiar and relieved to be able to leave Stefan's sombre company. However, the idea of being alone with her thoughts was not one she relished. She reached out to open the car door.

"It is for the best. You will come to see that." Stefan spoke softly, his voice lacking the usual hint of his sardonic humour. "Humans cannot live with us; it never works."

"What about Liza?"

"Temporary arrangements are sometimes necessary. She'll get over her infatuation with me in time, and then I'll let her go and find another."

Darci didn't believe one word of it. She had seen the way he looked at the girl, and she was certain there were more feelings there than he was admitting. But she let it be because another question had come into her mind.

"Why don't you want Will? You know what he is. Don't you want his blood?"

"Ah, cherie," Stefan said, his normal, humorous tone returning. "I am happy in the night. It suits me. Even as a human, I enjoyed the pleasures of the night and slept during the day, so I did not really give anything up, and there is nothing for me to miss. Unlike Will, I embrace the darker side of my nature, not to the extreme that Draken and the other leaders do, but I do not deny it. Why would I worry myself with day? Go in now, get some sleep. Dawn is coming."

Darci managed a weak smile. "Goodbye then, Stefan."

"Goodbye, cherie. Perhaps our paths will cross again one day."

Darci climbed out and shut the door. She waited until the blue-white tail lights of the sports car were out of view and she could no longer hear the deafening roar of its engine, then she turned homewards.

She walked up the driveway, her feet dragging. The other units on her block were all in darkness, even the most die-hard of their occupants long having gone to bed. The wind blew through the gum trees, their leaves whispering as she approached her door. She reached into her bag to retrieve her keys, her body on autopilot.

She stepped into her living room. Not bothering to turn on the light, she shut the door behind her and dropped her bag onto the settee. She wove her way around the room, avoiding all obstacles on the familiar route, unhampered by the absence of light to guide her way.

In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water. It was only as the liquid slid down her throat, refreshing and cool, that she realised how thirsty she had been. She downed a second glassful then turned off the tap. She stood there a moment, leaning forward, hands on the rim of the sink, unable to move as she waited for the dizziness that had suddenly come upon her to pass.

I should lie down. She took a few unsteady steps until she found her feet again. The sudden glare of the bathroom light was blinding, and when she could finally see again, she wished she hadn't bothered. The pallid look of her skin accented the dark circles under her eyes, making her eyes appear sunken in and small. Her hair was tousled, and she could tell it was going to take some rigorous brushing and a fair amount of painful root pulling to get all the knots out. But not right now. She splashed some water on her face and patted it dry then pulled on the cord, turning the light off. Everything else could wait until later.

The blind in her bedroom was open, and the faint glow of dawn approached through the window. She reached out for the light, thinking to read a while until the sun came up. Her hand never made it to the switch.

The attack from behind took her completely by surprise. A large hand clamped over her mouth and another slipped around her waist, pulling her back against a firm masculine torso. She strained, trying to free her mouth to scream, her legs kicking wildly. She got a few good hits against the legs of her assailant, but he seemed oblivious and refused to loosen his hold on her.

Sleep!

A deep voice she didn't recognise echoed in her head, blocking out everything else until it felt like it was a part of her and she had no choice but to obey. Her legs slowed their motion, turning to jelly, flopping to a halt. Her whole body became heavy, and she went limp in the arms of the man who held her. Her head lolled forward, hair falling across her face, and her eyes blinked once, twice, then slowly began to close. All the while, the voice continued to speak to her.

Sleep, little one. The dawn is upon us, but we will meet tomorrow night.