4

Twelve Years Earlier

he Ingram Estate remained as quiet as ever in the protecting mountains. Night settled in with its peaceful caress, and all remained still in the sky and forests.
A girl, seven years of age, slept in the estate’s cemetery. The cemetery rested outside of the perimeter walls and was surrounded by the thick, old trees. One cobblestone path connected the cemetery to the estate and was well hidden by the same old trees.
The little girl, Evonne, never took time to notice each and every grave. There were more than one hundred graves resting throughout the old cemetery, the oldest dating back to the late 1700s.
The perimeter walls didn’t enclose the cemetery with their safety. This was something that had been discussed and rumored to be a part of the original design of the estate. It was believed that the dead should remain outside the walls and never find peace within. Evonne didn’t quite understand this. And there were many other things she still didn’t understand. But that was how she accepted the world.
Evonne would come here on days that were most hard on her, just to be close to her mother. An hour would quickly pass as she spoke her thoughts and other worries to her mother. But this was the first time she fell asleep. The warm air and setting sun called out to her tired body. Laying down, she expected to rest for a minute or two.
Opening her eyes, Evonne found her breath trapped in her chest. The sun’s light was absent from her surroundings. She began to panic. Evonne wasn’t frightened at what could be out there in the woods, she was frightened at what her father may do if he found out. Catching her breath, she stood up and straightened out her spring dress. She then pulled her father’s casual jacket around her. The jacket dwarfed her small body, but it’s size comforted her. She felt safe within it.
On her mother’s grave, a new bundle of wild flowers sat, tied loosely with a ribbon from her hair. The old bundle of flowers was long gone, the only sign of its existence was the shoestring used to tie them.
Evonne’s feet hit the cobblestone path in a quickened pace. The walk back would take ten minutes, but she dared not to run. Running was something her father strongly ordered her never to do.
 
“How long has she been gone?” demanded Alex as he glared at the nanny, Lisa.
“I don’t know,” she struggled to reply. “She had her supper early this evening, and then wanted to go to bed.”
Alex ran his fingers through his hair. The stress of the events wore heavy on his demeanor. He walked away from Lisa and stood near the base of the grand staircase. How could a child become lost in a house where nothing went unknown? Alex felt his nerves twist in on themselves.
A young man headed down the staircase and stopped before reaching the bottom. “We checked everywhere,” Jonathan began, “and there was no sign of her.”
“The gardens,” Alex remembered, “did you check there?”
Jonathan nodded. “Yes, sir. Thomas and Joanne already checked them.”
Alex thought for a moment. “What about the cemetery?”
“Sir,” Jonathan tried to explain, “I don’t think she could have gotten out. The guards at the front gate would have seen her.”
“When was the last shift change?”
“Six o’clock.”
He gave Jonathan a stern look. “Get four of your best men and meet me out front.”
 
Evonne pulled the jacket tighter. The walk back seemed a lot longer than she remembered, yet she still refused to run.
She slowed her pace. It was odd, but she could sense someone nearby, the same feeling she would get when she knew someone was watching her. Evonne stopped and searched for what it was she felt. No one. She was alone. Turning back around, Evonne found herself frozen in fear. A man stood several yards away, watching her carefully.
“Hello there,” he said. His voice was neither frightening nor aggressive. He sounded friendly.
But Evonne knew better. “Who are you?”
The man walked up to the little girl and stopped.
She could see him more clearly now. He was rather tall in her eyes and wore dark clothing. His face was pale in the limited light and stood out against his short, dark hair.
“My name is not important,” the man calmly assured her.
Evonne stood brave in the presence of this stranger. “My dad is coming to get me. He’ll be here soon.”
The man looked in the direction of the manor then back at the girl. “You’re right. But it will take him a while to reach you.” He knelt down before Evonne and placed a cool hand to her cheek. “This may hurt a little.”
Evonne continued to stand brave as she felt him ease her head to the side and brush her long hair away. His mouth moved over her small neck and pressed down. The girl’s breath became lost as his teeth broke through her soft skin. In this one moment she could have screamed or attempted to break free. But she didn’t. The bite ended as he removed his teeth but his mouth remained. He began to drink.
Evonne felt a hand move to the other side of her neck to keep her from pulling away. Something told her not to struggle, just remain calm and show no sign of fear. But she wasn’t afraid. The lack of fear didn’t confuse her; it was her instincts that told her to stand brave.
As her body remained quiet, her mind raced on. This was a vampire, the same creatures her father told her about, and yet she never imagined seeing one or even gave them much thought. Was he going to kill her? She could feel his mouth pulling at her, slowly drinking her blood. Even in the passing thought of death, she stood calm against him.
He moved away and looked at her.
Evonne looked back, unwavering.
“You are a brave one,” he whispered.
Evonne saw his other hand move in between them and caught sight of a slender knife. He then removed the hand from her neck and ran the blade overtop. Blood began to move from of the deep cut, threatening to run down his wrist.
“I have tasted you,” he continued to whisper, “now you will taste me.” The vampire held out his hand.
Evonne stared at him curiously. Her father never mentioned anything about this before. She didn’t know what this meant, but she wasn’t repelled by it. She was intrigued.
Slowly, Evonne wrapped her small hands around his and pulled him close. She then placed her lips to the blood and began to drink. The blood was different than her own. She remembered tasting blood once after slicing her finger on a kitchen knife. It was an odd taste, neither bitter, sweet, or sour. More metallic than anything else. But the blood she now tasted was inviting. It soothed and relaxed her tense body, all while carrying the familiar metallic taste.
Evonne felt him pull away.
“That’s enough,” he quietly told her. The vampire placed his other hand under her chin and urged her to look at him. “You father is near.” He stood up, keeping his eyes on her. “Until I return…” he began, “stay close to your father. He will keep you safe.” His last words weren’t spoken out loud, but Evonne could hear them clearly.
 
Six people made their way over the cobblestone path, each one carrying a flashlight, while all but one carried a rifle or crossbow. An unarmed Alex lead the group along the path with Jonathan and four other hunters following close behind.
The flashlight beams frantically danced over the edge of the woods and the path.
Then Alex saw her. Evonne’s body lay motionless on the stone path. A cold, sickening wave ripped through him as he rushed over to his daughter and fell to his knees. He gathered her in his arms, cradling her. The hunters followed him and surrounded their leader.
Alex fought hard to hold back his tears. “She’s breathing. She’s okay.” The relief was welcoming but short-lived.
“Sir,” Jonathan said as he knelt down on the other side of Evonne. He tilted her head for Alex to see. The mark on her neck stared back at them. It wasn’t a violent bite, just the two puncture wounds surrounded by drying blood.
The hunters around them saw this and automatically went on the defensive. They aimed their flashlights toward the trees and bushes.
Jonathan saw something else. He removed the glove from his hand and traced his thumb over Evonne’s lips, then showed the blood to Alex.
A horrified look came over his leader. He glanced at Jonathan then back at his daughter.
“That means nothing!” Alex snapped out. “Do you see? She is still breathing. She’s still alive and that’s all that matters to me!” He held his daughter closer, silently wishing that the beast responsible would return to fight. Five of his best hunters were there, and if the cowardly beast dared to return, he would be no match. At least that was how Alex saw it.

The vampire watched as the group tended to the young girl and the shaken father. How he despised the human, Alexander.