The rest of the week dragged on. It was much of the same every day. Quinn or Jiro were sent to watch over me. We would walk out in the garden, chat, then I would be tucked back into bed with a plate of food shoved in my face.
Quinn decided he was no longer going to answer any of my questions about Kade, and Jiro was much the same but for a different reason. "You should stop talking about Lord Kade so openly, all your questioning has gotten back to Alpha Marcus." He rumbled in his deep voice one day as we walked.
"And yet he still hasn't come to talk to me." I replied in annoyance. "He hasn't said a word to me or come to see me since our last talk."
"Perhaps that is a good thing. If he keeps his distance that will make leaving easier." I thought about that for a moment. It made sense but the fact that Marcus had cut him right out of his life stung a little.
"Will you be strong enough once it is time for us to leave?" Jiro watched as I slowly shuffled along the garden path.
I sighed and dragged my fingers through my loose and messy hair. "I really don't know." I admitted as I continued to walk. "My strength is coming back faster than a normal person but I am worried about the trip through the dark forest."
Jiro nodded in response. "You can only do what you can. Keep working on gaining back your strength and stamina and I will make sure you get to Lord Kade safely."
I smiled at the large alpha. "Thanks Jiro."
Two nights before Jiro and I had planned to leave I opened the case and took out the final vial. I looked at it and again wondered if I was crazy for doing this. I did not know this stranger even though he had already saved my life twice. Was he also planning on putting me in a cage to 'keep me safe'?Marcus had still not come to see me. I attempted to seek him out once but was gently but firmly lead away from his office and escorted back to my room. After that I decided that if Marcus wanted to talk here could come to me.
I opened the vial and downed the last potion. It again settled warm in my stomach and spread throughout my entire body. This time I could feel a hum of of power settle inside my very bones and I continued to feel it while I showered and dressed, and even while I took my last daily walk through the garden.
I woke early the next morning, dressed in my favourite jeans and a black hoodie then waited for Jiro to come and collect me. We had chosen this day because Marcus and Quinn were both leaving for a council meeting, and we wouldn't have another opportunity like this for another month. Jiro would have liked to have put it off so I could get as strong as possible for the trip but he was also worried that without more of the potion vials I might start to deteriorate again.
Which was why I had left a small note on my pillow for Marcus to find. I just hoped he would understand.
A soft tap on the door let me know that it was time to go. I opened the door and Jiro stepped inside with a small pack that he handed to me.
"Are you ready for this?" He asked as he looked at the now empty room.
I looked around at the room one last time. The past few weeks had been hard but for the most part I was safe. "I am."
We left the pack house through a side door that led to a service road that was at the back of the property and quickly made our way into the forest. The forest itself seemed to welcome us, the birds chirped from the trees as we passed. The morning sun filtered through the new leaves and cast dancing shadows on the forest floor.
This changed as we went deeper. The forest grew darker as the towering canopy blocked out most of the light. The birds had long since gone silent and the only sounds were the crunch of our boots on the ground, and the soft whisper of the wind through the trees. A deep primal fear that I hadn't felt in a long while settled deep inside my chest and my feet faltered.
"Stay close to me." Jiro instructed as he placed a massive hand on my shoulder and gently guided me deeper into the woods.
The further in we went the more oppressive the silence became until it felt like a physical weight against my eardrums. Every shadow seemed to writhe and twist in my peripheral vision. The normal forest smells of pine and damp earth were replaced by a cloying, sweet decay. The forest felt ancient and alive, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched by countless unseen eyes.
It took us hours of walking before we came to a set of large wrought iron gates. There was a wall of stone that was covered in thick, thorny vines that disappeared into the gloom beyond the gates.
We were there. Sanguinis Manor. The home of a vampire.
Jiro walked up to the gate and placed a large calloused hand on it. Once he made contact with the cold metal it groaned and shifted beneath his touch and swung inwards on silent hinges.
The manor beyond was huge and made from a stone so dark it seemed to absorb the feeble light of the overgrown forest. It was a sprawling, gothic structure with pointed turrets and arched windows that stared out like vacant, unblinking eyes.
"This is your last chance to turn back." Jiro's deep gravelly voice cut through the oppressive silence. "Once we cross that threshold, there is no going back."
I looked from Jiro's serious face to the imposing structure and knew that this was something I had to do. I had come this far, and there was no way I could go back to the pack house now.
"I'm ready." I confirmed and took a steadying breath.
Jiro just nodded and led me up the stone path to the front door of the manor. He knocked once, the heavy wood echoing in the strange quiet, and the door swung open.
A thin man dressed in an old-fashioned, but pristine, black suit greeted us. He had pale skin, sharp features, and long silver hair that was tied back with a black cord at the nape of his neck.
"Jiro. It has been a while." The man's voice was a smooth, cultured baritone. He then turned his attention to me, his dark eyes unreadable. "And you must be Riley. Lord Kade has been expecting you. Please, come in."