Page 13 (1/2)

Degrees of Separation

Valek found Charlotte in the library with Edwin and Mr T&345;inozka Charlotte, dazed and absentminded, sat beside a chessboard in play as the tent at it in an intense round of the gaiant, knobbed mustache as he moved his pawn forward Valek could see how red and puffy her eyes still were fro as his shaky hand pushed one of his knights forward

Their galow of the fire Charlotte&039;s curls were messy around her lovely, alabaster face with freckles as faded as the stars at sunrise Her gaze re the horrific scene of Valek Kills the Poor Huain in her mind He must have entered too quietly, for she didn&039;t look up at him at all How fortunate he was, to be able to watch her so candidly-to get to witness every eiant, ee he atching her at all It was for this ability he was able to know her better even than she sometimes knew herself

Valek deliberately approached her at a steady, huot to her His little doll finally glanced up, a sad and tired s up the corners of her pale lips He was more than surprised to see that siven hio?" Her gaze flickered toward so just behind him Valek sensed it was the aforementioned Witch, who had also just appeared in the library doorway He heard her shoes on the wood as she flitted off down the hall into some other part of the house

Valek extended a hand toward Charlotte "May I steal you for ahis hand, allowing hiently to her feet Edwin and the Spider stopped their ga to Valek with curiosity

"You cannot steal her Who will be here to witness ruentle incoherent and moved his queen to the F7 space on the marble board "Check over a rin Edwin sputtered

Valek led Charlotte out of the library by the hand, noticing that as soon as they walked out of the roohts told hi a few of her spell books for their journey and did not want Charlotte to see her doing so She was successful, in that Charlotte failed to notice her

Valek stopped just before the staircase, thinking for a o of Charlotte&039;s war her He looked down into her wide, confused eyes as she searched his face His initial goal was to just be alone with her one last night before he and Sarah began their journey, but he decided being in that house, with all of the alone Not knohen they would return, he needed to find a way to tell her of his plan without actually telling her

His eyes began to sith blood tears and he turned his face, hiding from Lottie, as he always did It was his best and only defense He feverishly blinked theo His memory traveled over the previous weeks and months until he locked on a favorite ht he&039;d first learned Charlotte&039;s true feelings for hiht of their conversation by the fountain outside of the Elven cathedral In spite of his deception that night, the memory truly was a happy one

"Grab your sweater," Valek said grih he did not wait for Charlotte to respond as he reached up to tear her purple knit sweater fro?" she asked, her voice s the buttons

He pulled the door open and ushered her out into the night "I need to get out of this house"

"But you were just out of the house"

"Again!" he snapped Hearing her pulse pick up, he realized he sounded rather manic He pulled her down the crooked porch steps and back into the wet snohere only her footfallssounds while his movements re strange," Charlotte accused, wrapping her free arun to chatter "What did Sarah say? Where did you two go?"

Valek found it increasingly difficult to make eye contact with her "The tavern"

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow at hio, and she wanted company"

She frowned up at hiht have been too tired to go At any rate, I thought you were furious withhis breath-doable, but painstakingly distressing "Speaking of which, how do you feel now? Is your scar bothering you?"

"It throbs just a bit," she explained "But it isn&039;t hurtinga bit faster "Good"

They walked past the center of the square that had once been so busy, you could barely res, Elves, Phasers, Witches, and any other i items from their fruit and deli carts The s the bustling sounds of inhabitants bartering with one another Those sounds and shosts in his an to approach the Elven church packed between Broucka General Store and another shoppe

"What are we doing here?" Her glassy stare focused on the gothic façade Her gaze darted frooyle to the next, until it rested back on Valek

He could hear the fear build in herin the bowels of this cathedral While that made sense, Valek kneasn&039;t If Aiden were anywhere within the Occult radius, Valek would surely know He ihts would be so loud because of his passionate rage he&039;d be able to hear hiht back to that day, both dreadful and brilliant Charlotte clad in stark white, theday That had been Valek&039;s first sunrise in more than three hundred years Thatvision of Charlotte&039;s scarlet curls and eht Her beauty had been set aglow by it Each and every time Valek looked at the sun now, that hat he saw

They did not enter the church Instead, Valek led her by the arm around the side of the cathedral, down the cobblestone pathway, and into the garden where Charlotte had first professed how she truly felt about hiht, either All of the confusing iarden was the only thing that remained consistent about their Occult city now It looked just like it had when he&039;d originally found her there, crying by the fountain, face buried in her delicate little hands Probably under some spell, he&039;d suspected The jasrass In spite of the winter snow falling all around theh it was safely under the shelter of a glass globe Safe and unchanging

"Valek, why did you bring s inside of her mind

She was confused-afraid of hiht to be But the beauty of the spring that lived in this oasis, paired with the white winter coh to ease her, if only slightly Her gaze finally left his face as it trailed around where they were For a moment, Valek&039;s peace returned as he watched her appreciate it

"Because I do not knohere else to truly be alone with you" He released her hand That felt like the first honest truth he&039;d spoken to her all day

Charlotte looked at hi both of her hands in his "Valek-"

"I need you back I need the real you to return toopen "But I aed, and I feel like it&039;s allLottie, I am so sorry for what I&039;ve done to you I created this"

"You didn&039;t! I&039;ll be fine-"

Suddenly, she groaned, gritted her teeth together It was co was so palpable, it almost becaitself accurate He could sense the burn begin at her throat and spread all the way across her chest and shoulders Her thoughts screamed it at him to the point where it actually becarabbed up her hot hands in his cool ones again, willing the incineration to stop This was it He refused to experience another night of putting her through this Sarah was right This needed to end

"You are sick," he argued "You are dying, it&039;s true"

"Is that what you and Sarah were talking about-what happened to that girl?"

Valek didn&039;t want to answer anything further Instead, he shut his eyes as tightly as he could and continued to tune in to her i to experience the pain along with her He hoped it would distract frouilt

"Valek, did Sarah tell you to bring ers knotted up in the lapel of his overcoat "What is going to happen to me?"

He didn&039;t answer

"Valek!" Charlotte shook hi down her face

He had to leave to It would be his last and most desperate attempt to save her There was no other choice But he wouldn&039;t just abandon her He needed to say sohtly, but he pulled until she collapsed into his arainst his chest

He placed each of his gray claws on either side of her face and kissed her once on the cheek "I have to fix you, Lottie" He pressed his lips to her forehead, feeling her sgested that she was trying to fight hi to return to normal I won&039;t break my promise" He couldn&039;t look her in the eye, so he just held her even tighter to hi tomorrow, but I promise I will return," he confessed

"What?" Charlotte tried harder to pull away fro underneath her words, as though she were about to cry He couldn&039;t stand it "I don&039;t need you to fix me I need you to stay withsicker Soon, you will in to lose yourself as that wo tomorroith Sarah I want you to knohy I won&039;t be here when you wake up I cannot lie to you any further I cannot stand the guilt" He heard an ihts, so he answered it "You cannot follow us I&039; away slowly from him She was afraid, he sensed Afraid of him Hu a snake in the grass He experienced that with every one of his victih Valek&039;s, as a Vampire, was even sharper than that It was true that his kind made the perfect predators

He quickly opened his arms to her "Coether as more tears rolled down her ruddy face "You can&039;t leave! I promise I&039;ll be fine" But another addiction-pain waved through her body and she bent in half

"You won&039;t," he countered, sadness tightening up the muscles in his throat He knew she wasn&039;t about to let her guard down Not now What he wanted to do next would have to be done by force Her addiction was too heavy He could see the need for hi it

"Coain

"No!" she hollered She was resisting, tears dripping off the point of her chin

Her pulse slammed louder in his ears as tiny beads of sweat, al her forehead and at the hollow of her throat It was absolutely arousing

"Forgive me, then," he whispered and fleard her

Charlotte screae hiate It was only inches before her, her hand outstretched for the wrought iron as he grabbed at her ankle She screeched as he yanked her back, her face falling to the grass, her chin sla hard into the dirt She must have split it open, because the heady scent of iron, copper, salt, and life hit hied her toward hihtly underneath the arms Valek whirled Lottie around to face him

"Please! Please stop!"

Fresh blood poured froue upon the ie of hiave in to her deepest desire She looked like a monster He vowed silently to hi the very thing he hated Hied deep into his chest He cried out, dropping her to the ground as the pain bubbled up and out of the open wound He looked down to see a large, crude hunk of wood protruding from his center

Hedown his clothes He wrapped his claw around the makeshift stake "You are quite the Va it from hier Lurching forward, he dropped to his knees Bending in half, he tore open his shirt to watch as the wound quickly sewed itself up, the cascade of blood re his abdomen and on his clothes

Valek yanked off his overcoat and shirt, tossing therass, before he looked up and was met with the silence of the e or two fro with him-that was for sure She had already taken off, her fevered thoughts still audible, however She was running He couldfrom her as her footfalls slah the threshold, slaes Immediately, Sarah poked her head out frolanced down to see that she was clutching a newly, bound edition of Anatoes looked crisp, like they were hot off the press Apparently, Sarah haddown her face, fists balled up at her sides, Charlotte glared at the Witch "If you were reallythis! Why would you try and take him away from me? Why can&039;t I come with you?"

She didn&039;t let Sarah reply before she bolted up the staircase, tearing open the door to the upstairs bathroo it closed It caused all of the surrounding walls to shake

Charlotte gripped the sides of theher lips and down her chin and neck ran her own blood Her tongue swelled inside her mouth, but no pain, not even her scar,was fevered and broken Streaks of dirt sh her tear-stained, frustrated sobs to turn the hot water faucet in the hty years old It was antique, and old-fashioned, just like the rest of the bathroorass-stained and packed with dirt and blood, and threw it to the floor How could he be leaving her like this? And as he leaving her? The likes of Lusian? Did he really think he was keeping her safe by doing that? She continued to sob, but the tears stopped coe spouts of steaan to blanket the s so much that she couldn&039;t see her reflection anyht of herself anyway