Reflection

24

The castle loomed behind us, the moonlight casting a pale glow on its surface. It was a massive, classic castle, made of stone, with towers and archways and the like. Gargoyles sat atop the roof, staring down on us as if they were alive.

We were only a couple of yards from the castle when I stumbled, and Adam caught me. I wrapped my hand tightly in his. He looked down at me. "Are you alright?"

I smiled weakly at him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not dying."

He looked surprised for a moment before he grinned, and my heart skipped a beat. I stopped dead in my tracks then, glad for the canopy of trees hiding us. I don't know why I was so scared, I hadn't realized that I was. I was more likely to die than he was, but being away from him, especially in a place like that, terrified me.

He was looking at me, concerned. The numbness was spreading farther, but I hardly noticed as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him close, burying my face in his chest. He stumbled in surprise for a moment before recovering and returning the embrace.

The others paid us no attention as Ellie and James explained to my dad everything there was to know about vampires. "Hey," Adam said gently, "What's wrong?"

I could've told him about the torture, about my powers, about the pain and the exhaustion, about Serenity, but all I said was, "You asked if I trusted you."

His eyebrows raised. "Do you?"

"With all my heart."

And then I collapsed. "Scarlett?" Adam said frantically as he lowered me to the dirt, scooping me up into his lap. "Scarlett, what's wrong?"

"She needs blood," Ellie said as she, James, and my dad ran over. She cursed under her breath. "I don't have my bag."

"No," Adam whispered, staring down at me. "No, no, no, no. Please, Scarlett."

My whole body felt numb. My throat burned; I couldn't move, couldn't speak. Adam leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. "Don't die on me."

I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, that I would be okay, but I couldn't. I had survived all that, just to die like this.

"She needs blood?" I heard Samuel say. It sounded muffled, far away. I wondered if Adam has filled him in on what was happening. I supposed so, but I was surprised he didn't question it. Then again, my constant need to ask questions was a trait I'd inherited mostly from my mother. My dad usually just rolled with it and asked later. "Yes," said James. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a grim determination on my father's face as he yanked his sleeve up, dug out his pocket knife—

"No," I managed to choke out. "Dad, don't—"

"It's not like I haven't done it before," he snapped, struggling to find something sharp on his multi tool. Before I could ask what that meant, Adam took my face gently in his hand and turned it up to his, and my father's strange words were forgotten.

His eyes shed no tears, but they were unbearably bright as he looked at me. He tugged a stray curl behind my ear, and I was overwhelmed with a sudden gratitude that he was the last thing I saw. I wished I could lift my hand, place it on his cheek. But I couldn't move, so I settled with memorizing him. Everything that made him Adam. His eyes, a brighter silver than ever before, his hair, black as midnight. The dark waves were messy now, and his bangs fell into his eyes. My hands itched to push his hair back, but again, I couldn't move.

Darkness was climbing up the edges of my vision, threatening to pull me under. Or maybe it was light. I didn't know. I didn't care. All I saw at the moment as Adam.