Frailty: The Darkshine(8)

Gaijryc didn’t know what compelled him to protect her, but as he’d stared into her lovely eyes, he knew he could do no less. Aires had a taste for humans, more so then any other DarkShine. He had always wondered if Aires shined them—had controlled their mind so that they too felt compelled to want him as much as he wanted them.

Most of the time his kind didn’t bother controlling a human, since it took an exorbitant amount of energy. Others were just plain cruel and enjoyed a human’s fear, didn’t even attempt to shine them into submission. He felt a light breeze as Aires ran past him, his body not even a blur. Gaijryc picked up his pace and ran after his brother, an age-old game the two used to play when they were younger, but today he just wanted to get his brother away from the female.

“Getting slow in your old age, brother.”

“Just letting you win, Aires.”

The two raced to the front door of the mansion, not even their breathing accelerated. Aires stepped in first as Gaijryc looked behind him at the woods a moment before stepping into the foyer.



Helina stayed in that dark, cold corner for an hour before she heard a noise at the opening of her cave. She tried to make herself as small as possible, her body starting to shake because she was afraid of who or what might be only a few feet away. She prayed it was the vampire that she had seen by the lake. The fact that she actually felt that way had her shaking harder. Helina shouldn’t want anything to do with him, since his kind, after all, had killed Lizelle.

She could see the opening of the cave from where she was crouched and felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw it was the vampire from the lake looking through the entrance.

“Are you okay?”

Helina knew he couldn’t see her, for the corner she was in was completely obscured by darkness, but he looked right at her—seemed to look right in her eyes. Helina was shocked by how much relief she felt at the sight of him. She didn’t even know him, didn’t know if this was some kind of cruel game he wanted to play before he killed her, but she assumed if he wanted to harm her he could have done so back at the lake.

He gestured for her to come to him and, as if she couldn’t help herself, Helina slowly uncurled her body and moved toward the opening. She could see his fangs shining bright white in the sunlight as he smiled wide at her approach. Those fangs should have frightened her, but no fear came to her from the sight. He held his hand out and she glanced at it apprehensively.

“I promise I won’t harm you.” His voice was calm and tentative, as if she were a frightened animal that he needed to coax.

She looked into his face and back again at his outstretched hand. She placed her palm in his much larger one. As soon as their skin touched, Helina felt a shock wave of electricity pulse through her. Their eyes locked for a suspended moment, as if he too felt the same jolt of awareness. She let him pull her out of the cave and into the sunlight. He stood much taller than her five foot six, his body seeming to dwarf hers in height as well as in mass.

“What are you called?”

Again his dark voice seemed to wash through her, touching every cell in her body. He worded his question so strangely that she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Looking at him, she finally said the only thing she thought he meant.

“Helina. My name is Helina Alges.” Her voice sounded rather weak, but as he smiled once again, she felt the tension ease from her shoulders. Even though his fangs were very prominent, very long and sharp, she just had this feeling deep inside of her that made her comfortable being around him.

“Helina.” He said her name like it was honey sliding from his tongue, as if he enjoyed saying it on a pleasurable level. “So beautiful. So feminine.”

Helina didn’t know what to say to his comment. “Wh-what is your name?” Her words seemed to stutter out of her mouth as she asked the question, not so much because she feared him. Her neck was craned back in order to see him and she saw another one of those stunning masculine smiles cover his lips.

“I am called Gaijryc, high prince of the DarkShine.”

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion at his words. “DarkShine? Is that what you are? I mean, you’re a vampire, right?”

His low deep laugh surprised her. “We have been called many things, vampires being one of them. Our true name, the name our kind was born to, is the DarkShine.”

He still had her hand as he led her in a slow, steady walk through the woods. They were quiet, the sounds of the leaves crunching beneath their feet seeming loud and piercing. She didn’t know why she was letting him take her away from the comfort of her cave, didn’t know why she was having anything to do with him at all.