Frailty: The Darkshine (3 page)

After hearing those horrific proclamations, Helina decided it was best not to listen at all. She tucked the radio away, so frightened that if she turned it on she would hear more of the same things or worse…nothing at all.

Helina sat at
the entrance of the cave once again and listened to see if she could hear anything. She had no idea where to look for food, or if she would even be able to find any, but she knew she had to try. Debating wouldn’t do her any good, so without another thought, she went out of her hole and into the fresh air. Bringing up her hand to block the bright sun, she looked at the sky for a moment. Most of the tree tops covered what blue could be seen, but there was a break every now and then and she was able to glimpse the beautiful sky.

Standing as still as she could, she listened for any kind of movement. The only thing that she heard was her own heart beating against her ribcage. She started off to the left, hoping something would just pop out in front of her that was edible. Helina walked for a good twenty minutes before she was lucky enough to find some wild raspberries. Picking as many as she could, she tossed them into her outstretched shirt. She ate more than she actually put into her shirt, but her stomach was growling and the Twinkie hadn’t been enough.

Helina turned and started back when she heard twigs cracking in the distance. She looked back and forth, not knowing if she should attempt to run or go as quietly as she could. Gripping the hem of her shirt tighter, she decided that it didn’t matter how quiet she tried to be, because those monsters were sure to hear her either way. More twigs snapped in half, much closer than before, and she took off as fast as her legs could carry her. She looked over her shoulder, afraid someone, or something, would be right behind her. Running harder, faster, she finally reached her cave. She crawled in quickly, silently praying that whatever was out there hadn’t seen her.

That morning, Gaijryc
decided to leave the mansion and explore the grounds. The DarkShine were extraordinarily fast and it took him a matter of minutes to explore the many acres. He reached the property line where a fast-running brook separated his parents’ land from the thick wooded forest that lay just beyond.

He bent at the knees and jumped, clearing the brook and feeling the splashes of water kiss his skin as his body moved fluidly over the rambling liquid. Bending his knees slightly, he landed on the other side, the soft ground breaking his fall. He inhaled deeply and smelled the clean fresh air. All life seemed void since their arrival, as if they had known what a threat the DarkShine really were and decided it would be their death if they stayed. Of course, his kind fed off of creatures such as birds and rabbits, but their taste was more refined, more accustomed to the thick red liquid that ran through a human, as well as their own bodies.

It wasn’t as if his species couldn’t live strictly off of DarkShine blood. They could in fact sustain life off of human and DarkShine blood, their bodies able to metabolize both forms of fluid equally, even though they were not of the same species, very similar, but completely different in so many ways.

It was the sweetness of a human’s blood that they became addicted to, that potency that was a drug to their senses. It was the high they got when they pierced the tender flesh of the lesser species, that sweet, sweet liquid washing over their pallet and teasing their senses.

He shook his head, pushing his wayward thoughts to the back of his mind as he took in his surroundings. He took note of everything that passed him, his eyesight picking up the very makeup of the trees’ thick bark and every vein that made up its green leaves. He stopped next to a large oak tree, the trunk bigger than anything he had ever seen. He ran his hands across the trunk, closing his eyes as the texture sunk into every pore of his being. He moved away from the tree and started at a much slower pace through the forest.

He stopped and inhaled deeply. The wind whipped around him and he picked up a smell that made his heart beat a fast rhythm, had his fangs aching in his mouth. The scent was distinctly female and very much human. He could smell the clean, intoxicating aroma of her and was surprised at how aroused he became. He straightened and started to walk toward the smell that had made his whole body come alive with excitement. It was as if he were hypnotized, as if the very smell of this human female called to him, seduced him with just her scent.

He moved toward her, his body picking up speed as her smell intensified. He could hear the leaves rustle beneath his feet, the sticks crunching as he moved over them. He stopped where he was as he heard her heart start to race and smelled her addicting scent rush in the opposite direction. It was as if his body where on autopilot, moving on its own accord, toward what it wanted most, what it needed most.

He couldn’t explain the reaction he was having—it was just a smell, after all—but it was like her blood called to him on some primitive level and until he had it, he couldn’t, wouldn’t be appeased. He moved faster towards her and could see her small body in the distance. Gaijryc could have easily caught her, but he knew she was frightened, could smell the acidic scent of her fear coming off her in waves. As he watched her, he could see her dark hair blowing behind her as she ran, like a curtain of dark silk arousing him further.

He stepped behind a tree and watched as she stopped by the base of a mountain and took a deep breath. He knitted his brows as he watched her crawl through an opening that looked so small he was surprised even
her
slender body could fit through it. He was surprised none of his kind had found her. It was possible the DarkShine hadn’t picked up her scent, not with so many only aromas wafting around. The very idea of one of his kind finding her had his skin tightening and every possessive instinct in him roaring out. They would surely kill her if they knew where she was, for he knew they wouldn’t waste such a tempting human.

Gaijryc sat and watched that cave for hours upon hours, relishing her scent, which smelled of ambrosia and honeysuckle. All he wanted was one more look at her long, flowing dark hair, one more look at her creamy, smooth flesh. She stayed inside and soon he forced himself to leave. Her scent was in his system, in the very makeup of his DNA, and he knew that he would be able to find her anywhere and at any time.

Aires sat on
the long, velvet-covered chaise that was in his brother’s quarters. Adais lay on his bed with a female on each side of him. The DarkShine females’ bodies grinded against his twin, their lips sliding against him as they kissed and nipped at his golden skin. Jacinta and Zysis ran their fangs along Adais’s skin as their hands moved to the erection that stood stiff against his thigh. He would have gone over and join them, but his body was sated well by the females, and at times, he just enjoyed watching.

Jacinta moved her body down to Adais’s erection and latched her mouth over the head of his penis. Aires watched as both females gave his twin gratification, their ripe breasts and supple nipples standing erect and ready for a mouth. Aires stood up, his naked body absorbing the light of the sun that shone through the window. He leaned against the frame and stared out at the lush lawn and bright blue skies. He was getting so bored of the repetition that made up his life. He felt like his existence had been nothing more than a chess game, he being the pawn, his father playing him like a fool.

He brought his attention back to Aires and the two females. His twin was busy pounding into Jacinta from behind while she was busy pleasuring Zysis with her mouth. Their moans and his twin’s grunts were enough to drive him insane. He walked out of the room, ignoring the two females’ pleas for him to stay.

The first meeting

T
he following morning
Helina quickly bathed and dressed, thinking about what was to come. She needed to go out of the cave and search for food and water again, the wild raspberries doing nothing to sate her hunger. Her supply of bottled water was coming to an end and she wasn’t keen on drinking the water she bathed in every day, but if it came down to it she would obviously have no choice.

It took her almost twenty minutes to work up the courage to go outside of her hermit hole. She kept replaying the day before when all she could think about was that one of those creatures, whatever they might be, had been right behind her. Of course, it could have just been her imagination, could have been an animal that made those twigs break, but the fact that she still got chills thinking about it made her think twice.

Helina dashed out and headed in the opposite direction. Trying to keep as quiet as she could, she couldn’t help the prickling feeling that started on the back of her neck. Every time Helina looked over her shoulder she saw nothing, absolutely nothing. That was what frightened her most of all. She started at a quicker pace when the feeling that she was being watched intensified.

The low sound of running water penetrated her fear-laced brain before she actually saw anything. She followed the sound until she saw the slow-moving water that moved down a slope. The liquid was crystal clear and smelled fresh as it moved past her in an almost sensual dance. Sitting down, she cupped her hands and scoped some of it into her mouth. The first taste slid down her throat and instantly quenched her thirst. As she picked up another handful and swallowed it, she nearly choked when she heard a thumping sound from across the water. Helina didn’t move a muscle and kept her head low, her eyes trained on the water. Lifting her head slowly, her mouth fell open as she stared at the man in front of her.

He sat on his haunches, every muscle in his huge body standing out in stark relief. His hair was a pale blond and his eyes a vivid green that she could see even from where she was. Helina knew the man in front of her wasn’t a human. There was just something about him that screamed predator—that told her just from his appearance he was something far different, something far more dangerous than any human man could ever be.

He stared at her as if he were taking in her very essence, as if he didn’t quite know what to think of her. That alone made her panic, her breath seesawing in and out of her mouth in rapid succession. She knew just from looking at him that he was one of those
things
, the same creature that had killed Lizzy.

Her eyes grew wide as he stood. He was huge, far bigger than she thought any person could be. She could try and outrun him, but she knew he would catch her before she even turned around. His knees bent slightly and his huge body jumped the water as if it were no more than a stepping stone. She fell back on her bottom as he landed in front of her with a soft thud. The pebbles around his feet seemed to bend from the impact, skittering around the ground as if they knew they should get away.

“What are you?”

What was she
? Helina should have been the one asking
him
that question. His words were spoken in a deep rumble that seemed to spear through her whole body. She could see his bright white teeth, the twin fangs that replaced what should have been flat ones. Her heart slammed against her sternum, adrenaline pumping through her body as her flight instinct took over. She should have run, should have followed her body’s response to what she was seeing, but she wasn’t—and not because she knew he would catch her.