Black Hellebore Read online

  “I am sorry that I never had time for you. I always thought if you never wanted for anything, that you would be happy enough. I never thought you needed me, and to be honest, you sometimes scared me.”

  Lia looks at him stunned. “Why?”

  “It wasn’t you, it was me. I was scared I would do something wrong. I was afraid to be your father.”

  Lia swallows hard. It would be the perfect moment to ask about her mother, but she simply can’t bring herself to do it.

  “But I promise you that I will change everything from now on. Work can wait, because you are way more important to me! You are all I have!”

  He reaches for Lia’s hand in his despair, and squeezes it so hard that it’s almost painful. But it is a good kind of pain. He is showing Lia love, and so she squeezes his hand even tighter.

  Her father laughs with his red, tear-filled eyes.

  “I didn’t know how strong my little girl is.”

  Lia returns his laugh. It’s the first time she can think of ever laughing with her father. It’s a nice feeling. She inhales deeply.

  “Daddy, I...I...I need to ask you something.” She forces out.

  He nods eagerly. “Go ahead. You can ask me for anything, I have a lot to make up for.”

  Lia shakes her head. “I don’t want anything. I...I need to know who my mother was.” Now that she has finally said it, the words hit her father like a smack in the face. His smile fades instantly and his forehead and lips crease with worry.

  “There is nothing to say about her.”

  Lia looks at him pleadingly. “Please, it’s important to me.”

  “What do you even want to know? I don’t even know who she really was.”

  “What was her name?”

  He snorts scornfully. “Her name was Lilith”

  Lia’s throat suddenly gets very dry. “Lilith what?” she squeaks.

  “I don’t know what; she never told me her surname.” Mr. Green scolds angrily.

  “How did you two meet?”

  “She showed up on my doorstep as if sent from the heavens. It was raining and there was a storm raging. She was frozen almost half to death and asked if she could come in. Of course I didn’t say no, because I have to give her one thing; she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.” His anger disappears and a loving smile appears on his face as he looks at Lia. “You have her eyes.”

  Lia smiles. After all these years, she is finally finding out what she has yearned to know for so long.

  “Her hair was as red as fire, and fell in waves down to her chest. She moved with a feline grace. Whenever she walked, you couldn’t even hear her footsteps on the floor.”

  “How long were you together?”

  “Exactly nine months until the day of your birth.” He holds his head in his hands, clearly distressed by the memory. “She left without even a single word. She didn’t even call me when you were born. When I came home from work, you were there and she was gone, and I haven’t heard another word from her since.”

  Lia lets her head sink down like her father’s. It’s not exactly nice to hear that your own mother not only left right after your birth, but also never even tried to be a part of your life ever since.

  “Do you have any idea where she could be now?” She asks anyway and looks pleadingly at her father.

  “No, and I don’t care either.” He replies with his hands balled into fists.

  “Daddy, please. I have to find her to figure out who I am.”

  He stubbornly shakes his head and grabs her hand again.

  “You don’t need that woman. I can tell you who you are; you are my daughter and I am damn proud of you.”

  “You simple fool; she is much more than that.” The voice in her head hisses venomously.

  Lia smiles sadly at him. “It is important to know where you come from. I just want to see her once, please. It is very important to me.”

  He raises his hand in apology. “I really can’t help you darling; I don’t know where she went. I do remember her telling me once that she originally came from the Red Sea. It confused me because her skin was so fair.”

  “The Red Sea? As in Africa?”

  Her father smiles proudly at her. “Clever girl.” Worry is still etched plainly across his face. “Are you going to go there now?”

  “I don’t know exactly, I mean it is the holidays.” Lia replies.

  Her father nods. “Well if you do decide to go, then please tell me and don’t just disappear like she did. I would also like for you to stay in a good hotel and not just stay in any old dive.”

  Lia starts laughing. “All of your worrying is kind of starting to scare me.”

  Mr Green returns the laughter. “I am still learning.”

  As Lia happily walks out of her house a wave of confusion washes over her. Instead of Lindsay waiting in her driveway as she had hoped, Tru is standing there.

  She looks hesitantly towards her before Tru raises her hands in surrender.

  “I have news about Orlando and I thought you might be interested.”

  Lia looks at her apprehensively. “What’s it about?”

  “The vampires seem to have all left on a ship last week.”

  Lia can’t help but to make a snide comment; “What, so your prey disappears without the vampire hunter knowing about it?”

  Tru looks into her eyes, hurt by her words. “I had more important things to do.”

  Lia wants to give herself a smack. Of course; Tru was busy sitting at her bedside holding her hand.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Tru waves dismissively. “Do you want to come to Moundrell Manor with me and have a look? He may have stayed behind.”

  Lia blinks at her in surprise. “You would take me with you?”

  Tru grins and shrugs her shoulders. “You are a succubus, right?

  “It seems that way...” Lia agrees and they walk down the Manor Road together, and enter the Italian Gardens. Lia remembers her last visit here all too well. It was the night she died. Goosebumps form on her arms and send a shiver through her body. The park looks a lot less intimidating during the day. In fact, it looks quite pretty. Snow-covered olive trees line the path and right in the center of the park there is a lake with a wooden pier, where little boats are available to rent in the summer. At the other end of the park, a slightly weathered grey stone building rises from the ground. There is green, in parts withered ivy growing on all of the walls. It’s amazing that she was so close to Orlando every day and never knew it. The windows looks neglected; there are no borders around them or flowers on the window sills. The windows that aren’t broken are covered by thick burgundy and black velvet curtains. The cobblestones in the driveway are worn and cracked, with weeds growing between them. As they reach the large black wooden front door, it opens easily, letting out a loud creaking sound. The floor in the entrance hall is made of little mosaic stones, leading to a grand wooden staircase winding its way up to the second floor. Loose mosaic pieces jump up with every footstep, falling back down into a different position, almost like a jumbled puzzle. There is only a single ray of light coming into the hallway from a broken stained glass window above the front door. Dust motes dance in the air.

  “Are you sure they only left a week ago?” Lia asks while staring at the wooden carvings on the old staircase.

  “I am not so sure that they have all actually left.” Tru answer and walks towards the wall opposite the front door. She holds out a wooden stake to Lia.

  “Here, just in case of an emergency, but don’t get too close to me with that.”

  A strange feeling washes over Lia when she grabs the wooden stake. A splinter pushes into her finger and breaks her delicate skin. A tiny drop of blood immediately appears and Lia lets out an “oh” in surprise, holding her hand up to the light. Before she knows it, Tru is standing right next to her staring at the red drop of blood that is now running down Lia’s finger. There is an odd tension in the air t
hat sends a chill down Lia’s spine. It’s so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Tru’s brown eyes are sparkling in the dim light and are fixed on the blood. She slowly moves her lips towards Lia’s outstretched finger, and as light as a feather, Tru’s lips touch Lia’s finger. A tingling sensation shoots through her entire body and as Tru’s tongue licks up the tiny drops of blood, it is almost electric, and Lia closes her eyes. But the moment is over almost as quickly as it started, and when Lia opens her eyes again, Tru has turned away from her in embarrassment. She can still feel Tru’s hands and lips tickling her skin, but the little cut on her hand has already healed.

  “Sorry” Tru says quietly and rushes towards the wall without turning back towards her. Lia watches her as if in a trance and doesn’t budge from where she is standing. She still has goosebumps all over, but they are slowly starting to fade.

  A door opens in the wall as if by a ghostly hand, and Tru places one foot on the first step of a secret staircase that leads downwards.

  “Are you coming?” she asks and then makes her way down without waiting for Lia.

  In a daze, Lia shakes her head and follows her. What is wrong with her? Shouldn’t she be pining for Orlando? Instead she is completely thrown off course with one touch from Tru. Can one really be in love with two people at once?

  The steps creak loudly as they make their way down to the lower level of the building. They are engulfed in darkness, the only light coming from a couple of ancient oil lamps hanging on the walls. The smell of fire and decay lies in the air and after a few more steps, they reach the lower level. It is very cold in here, and the walls are moist, reflecting the light of the torches. In front of them there is a large room, in the middle of which there is a golden throne. There are several wooden tables grouped all around, set with porcelain crockery and golden cutlery, making it look like people had recently dined here. Someone definitely was or still is here. Lia’s heart begins beating wildly as she slinks from one door to the next with Tru. As old as the manor may be, the rooms seem a lot more modern. Many contain empty, but locked fridges. She guesses that this is where they kept their blood reserves. Other rooms are kitted out with beds and closets. The only difference between these bedrooms and her own or Tru’s bedroom is the very obvious lack of windows. She stops in one of the rooms, which doesn’t look much different to any of the others. The bed is framed by black iron posts, and there is a black satin throw on it. The dark closet has been completely emptied out, apart from a couple of crumples white shirts, and yet something seems to draw her to this room. She can smell a weak scent of snow, and so her feet lead her inside. There is not a single picture on the walls, and there are no signs of the owner of the room, but then Lia notices a white piece of paper sticking out from the corner of the satin bed covers. She bends down and picks it up. Electricity races through her fingers as she holds her breath when she sees what she is holding in her hands. It is a charcoal drawing of a girl with very sad eyes. She is staring up at the moon while her straight hair covers half of her face. The girl is her.

  The strokes are fine and soft, combining into a powerful and sensual image. Her eyes are especially detailed, making them look so realistic they seem as though they could blink at any moment. She strokes the paper with he fingers and she can feel the fine lines etched into the paper. The artist has signed an O in the bottom right hand corner. Orlando. She feels a pain in her chest as she realises that he is gone, and won’t be coming back. Sometimes you only realise how much you love a person when you loose that special person for good. He has gone without looking back or saying goodbye to her, and all she has left of him is the picture she is holding in her hands.

  Tru places her hand gently on Lia’s shoulder.

  “They are gone.”

  Lia falters. “Shouldn’t you be happy about that? ”

  Tru shakes her head. “I can’t be happy when you are so sad.”

  Lia immediately regrets her words. Why does she always have to be so harsh to Tru? One minute she is in awe of her and longs for her touch, and the next she is attacking her with cold, cruel words. Tru must think there is something really wrong with her.

  “Let’s go!” she suggests, trying to change the mood. Lia nods and quickly folds the picture into her jacket pocket. They climb the stairs again, and just as Tru reaches the top step, she gets thrown aside and flies down the stairs back into the lower level of the house. Ice cold hands grab Lia by her throat, squeezing so hard she can’t breathe. Golden eyes stare at her in the darkness.

  “You should be dead!” she hisses in her ear, while the voice in her head counters with “kill her”. Even if Lia wanted to, she couldn’t defend herself. A choking sound escapes her throat. The hands loosen suddenly when Tru stabs the dark haired woman over Lia’s shoulder, causing her to stumble backwards. The woman hisses and jumps on Tru who has stumbled up the stairs, and the two of them fall to the floor with a loud crash. Lia quickly rushes towards them, but finds herself just standing there helplessly watching with the wooden stake in her hand. She is scared to make a move in case she hurts Tru. The wood would be just as deadly to her as it is to the vampires. Just then the woman gains the upper hand and pushes Tru to the ground by her neck. If Lia doesn’t act now, then it could be too late and she swings the stake at the woman. Just then she moves aside and Lia only grazes her arm, which it is enough for her to loosen her grip with a pained scream. Tru frees herself and pushes the woman away, whose face is a mask of pain and rage, holding her injured arm against her body. Her golden eyes turn to Lia once again.

  “How can this be? Your heart is beating, but I saw you die with my own eyes.”

  Now Lia recognises her too. She was the woman who was standing at the queen’s side the whole time.

  “You can take your question to the grave with you!” Tru yells as she goes to attack the woman again, but Lia stands between them.

  “Wait!” She turns back towards the vampire.

  “Are you the only one that stayed behind, or are there others?”

  “If you are looking for Orlando, then I am going to have to disappoint you. He cares just as little about you as he does for everyone else.” She hisses scornfully. Lia strokes the raised lines on the drawing in her jacket pocket. No, Orlando loves her. That’s just how it has to be.

  “Why are you still here?” Tru interjects. “I know who you are; you are the Queen’s right hand lady, she would never go anywhere without you. Claudia, if I am not mistaken.”

  She nods unhappily. “Chasity is on her death bed, and it’s all because of her.” She points accusingly at Lia, who just shakes her head. That can’t be true. First the thing with Orlando and now she supposedly almost killed the queen of the vampires too? How much more of her life has she actually missed?

  “I don’t understand...”

  “Your filthy blood is killing her!” Claudia screams furiously. Shocked, Lia looks at Tru who sucked some blood from her finger not long ago. Tru also seems to just realise that, but it confuses rather than scares her. She watched Orlando try Lia’s blood and therefore knows that the poison works instantly, and not over a longer period of time. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to have the same effect on her. Is it because she is not fully a vampire?

  As Lia sees the fear and worry in Claudia’s eyes at the mention of Chasity, she starts feeling sympathetic towards her. Even if Tru sees it differently, she knows that vampires are capable of having strong feelings too.

  “I am a succubus...” she says hesitantly and waits for a reaction from Claudia, who considers it for a moment.

  “A daughter of Lilith?” she asks sceptically.

  “So you know the legend too?” Tru chimes in but Claudia just snorts at her in response.

  “Of course I know it, you youngling. I have been on this Earth a lot longer than you have. Believe me, there is no legend or story that you could tell me that I don’t already know.”

  “And what do you know about it?” Claudia’s condescending way d
oesn’t faze Tru in the slightest.

  “It is said that Lilith put a curse on Cain because he was unfaithful to her. She left him and swore that if he or any of his children ever made the same mistake she made and gave her or any of her children their blood to drink, that she would rise and wipe out him and his entire race.”

  Tru looks at Lia. “Did Orlando give you his blood?”

  She shakes her head, remembering his words exactly. They hurt her so much because she had wished so hard that it had been him that saved her. They had promised to spend eternity together. That was on the night they spent in the greenhouse together. How can everything have spiralled so badly out of control since then?

  “No, he told me that Mary had done it.”

  Claudia nods with pursed lips. “They told us the same thing. So the legend is true then. Cain summoned us all to him.”

  “And where is Cain?”

  “I would be pretty stupid to tell that to the two people who have nothing else in mind other than to wipe out my entire race.” Claudia snorts amused.

  “Maybe we can help you.” Lia says to her surprise. Tru immediately interrupts her. “Are you crazy?!”

  Claudia doesn’t seem all too excited about the suggestion either.

  “How exactly could you help me succubus?!”

  “Not me, Lilith. She is the one who started the curse, and she can take it away. She can save the queen.”

  Claudia’s eyes light up at the realisation that as much as she hates to think it, Lia could be right. “You know where Lilith is?” She asks sceptically.

  “Not exactly” Lia admits, “but we will look for her by the Red Sea.”