Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Twenty-Nine

I followed Jacobi carefully across the concrete, looking around as though Aveline or Xander would be waiting for me. Didn't Aveline tell me she wouldn't be too far away? I breathed deeply in anxiety, but continued to follow the quiet Master towards what looked like a decent sized private jet. When Jacobi began to climb the steps onto the jet, I halted.

"Where is everyone?" I finally asked, sounding as nervous as I felt.

Jacobi looked back at me briefly before looking around as if he only just noticed the fact that we were alone as well. Then he smirked, looking back at me. "They took the larger jet." He continued up the steps without me. I hesitated, looking at my surroundings.

I'd never actually flown on a plane before. It wasn't as though I was afraid of heights. My temporary friends in one of my high schools had taken me to a theme park with them one day. It was the first time I had been on a roller coaster. I still could remember the adrenaline of that slow climb up the high arch just before it dropped, raising me up weightlessly. It wasn't the jet that made me nervous. It was the unknown location I was being flown to that laid heavily on my thoughts.

"Are you coming or were you planning on slipping away into the darkness?"

I looked up the steps to see Jacobi waiting with eyes narrowed.

"I'm afraid," I answered honestly, plucking at the silk of my dress anxiously. I didn't elaborate further, being that I wasn't sure what I was afraid of. Or maybe I wasn't sure what I wasn't afraid of. At this point, I could possibly fear my own shadow.

"Either you can come on this jet with me or you can refuse," He said carefully, his words darkening significantly as his eyes began to blacken. "I can promise more terrifying things than whatever you can think of if you refuse."  My heart began to pulse rapidly in my chest, the threat as clear as his demonic eyes. Regardless if he meant it or not, it was very motivational and I promptly decided whatever anxiety I had wasn't as sensible as my fear of him.

I quickly took the steps, my heels clicking against the metal. When I reached Jacobi, I nearly slipped and abruptly grasped for his hand, perhaps thinking of the familiarity I had with Aveline and Xander. Noticing my mistake immediately, I tried to pull away. His hand clamped over mine before I could and suddenly I was tugged towards him. I grabbed his arm to steady me, looking up to inhale sharply at his nearness, his eyes still black and frightening. My heart thrummed in my throat and I tried once again to pull away but was held firm.

"It's a type of satisfaction," Jacobi's deep voice rolled over my skin, causing my eyes to close in response as I froze. "To know a Monet fears me like you do. After all your family has done..." His fingers brushed over my cheek slowly. I opened my eyes, trembling as his demonic eyes nearly hypnotized me in fear. "Only to leave one of theirs out in the open for a monster like me to take."

I was suddenly struck by his words. How many times had I thought of Jacobi as a monster, even as he gave Aveline a small smile and risked his strength to heal someone he claimed to hate? I had clear reason to think him as a monster, after all that's what Jacobi wanted me to see him as. It's how he planned to make my death easier should I not reveal my "hidden monstrous" side myself. By allowing myself to fear him, I gave him the power to be a monster.

I swallowed with difficulty, trying to calm my trembling fear. Then I looked bravely into those demonic eyes, widening mine but not looking away. "You're no monster," I whimpered, despite my words, "You're just angry."

"Maybe I'm just thirsty," His eyes became impossibly darker, causing my fear to amplify. I tried to jerk away from him, but his grip was iron. Obviously, he hadn't been completely joking when he had asked if I was offering myself before. Did he mean to feed on me now? I panicked at the thought, struggling to breathe around it. "If I'm not a monster, why are you so afraid, Elysia?"