Chapter 33

We found our way back inside of my new house. Rudolph set me down on the sofa. He wrapped a blanket around me but, that didn’t adjust my frozen state. I was still seeing everything. My brother, my parents, her annihilated body. It was constant visuals playing on repeat in my mind. I couldn’t see past it. It was like I could see and understand everything about life, death and the Universe for the first time. He Walked outside briefly and came back in with an old wheel grinding stone. That thing must have weighed a ton, and he was carrying it like it was tv. He placed it in front of the door.

“I told you to run!” he said in anger.

He turned around to look at me. I was shaking, frozen yet somehow rocking back and forth. Tears were streaming down my face. He noticed that I was damn near catatonic. He held me close as if I would disappear from his sight. He looked at me and I realized that he was Ralph. Why or how would he be here? I haven’t seen him in weeks, he doesn’t know where I live. Unless! Is he the Hofer? The mysterious Hofer I had not met yet. Mr. Dubois said that Rudolph would be arriving in France soon. Could it be?! I felt like I was struck by lightning! Every time I had those weird dreams, he was there. Every time I saw him, he seemed like a damn dream. There was something about him that was familiar to me, like I had known him my entire life.

“Are you Rudolph Hofer or Ralph? You never did tell me your name.” I said in a daze.

“I never got the chance to my love. Yes, I am Rudolph Hofer.”

“Are you the same Lord Rudolph Hofer who was Gabrielle’s betrothed” I asked being beside myself. It couldn’t be. Immortality doesn’t exist. He looked at me with a grave expression.

“What would I do if I told you I was? What if I told you that I was a vampire?” I was stunned. He was studying my face. Checking to see how I was going to react. Suddenly, so many thing fell into place, and I realized that Judith was right. The truth about him was right in front of me. I always knew what he was, what his family is. After what I had just witnessed, I couldn’t deny the truth in front of me anymore. The vision I had just confirmed the reality, and so much more.

“Nothing, there’s nothing I would do. Why would I deny you? Ever since I met you, you have loved and protected me.”  I said with determination. I had never felt so love than when I was with him. He’s the only one who has ever lit my soul on fire. I wish I would have met him a long time ago.

“I wish I would have more” he said to me in a dead voice. I snuggled into him.

“I wish I would have met you long ago” I tell him with a smile.

“I wish I protected you from Silas, I pray God that he isn’t coming for you.”

“Who’s Silas?”

“Silas Carvernall” I recognize that name.

“You mean Owens ancestor?”

“Is that what he told you? “ he laughed.

“That man comes from a sadistic wealthy vampire family. They’ve been around for thousands of years. Longer than me.” I looked at him praying that he was wrong. How could I never have known?

“No, wouldn’t I have known he was a fucking vampire?!”  I shouted in rage.

“He is very good at  concealment unless he used compulsion on you at some point.” He said uncertainly.

“Fuck! This makes total sense! All the weekend trips to his parents house and he refused to take me with! Anyway, we had a fight. I swore I saw his eyes change color. He said I was imagining things but, then he would leave for days and not return. How could I be so blind and stupid!” I said angrily at myself for not seeing the truth in front of me.

“You were young and in love, you would not have been able to see. He’s very good at concealment.” He told me while continuing to hold me close. He took my face in his hands and kissed me fiercely.

“I need to leave; Edgar won’t get away with this. Not this time.”

“Who is he?”

“My deranged cousin. He’s just as sadistically vile as the Carvernall’s”

“Somehow I know.” I told him. He looked at me warily.

“I can see things, like visions, I can’t explain it. glimpses of the past possibly tied to traumatic events. What just happened with Judith. I was seeing the day I found my parents but, it was different, it was like I was seeing the day that it happened. Like I was a bystander, I watched the gruesome assault yet couldn’t do nothing. It was Owen, and the guy outside my house the other day, I think his name was Conrad.” I watched his face morph from puzzled to rage at the mention of the name. His eyes were black.

“I watched them like I was using telepathy to spy on them. They met with Edgar outside my parents home after the slaughter. He was there. They all were there. They slaughtered my parents. They were talking about plotting to take down your family, and he’s going to use me to get to you. He’s going to kill me and somehow make you watch. He said he wants to drive you mad with revenge.” Rudolph held me close like he was scared to leave me.

“I need to leave; I need to regroup with Fredrick. He was out in the woods fighting Conrad.”

“Please, stay, don’t leave me!” I said as I clung to him. I felt like a scared little girl that needed her protector with her.

“Just for tonight. I will call Fredrick to check if Edgar is still in the area. “ He said to me. He cradled me in his arms like I was a precious gem.

“You have no idea, how long I have wanted this, waited for this and missed this.” He whispered. I stared into his eyes, my eyes continued to look at him. his dark brown eyes that seemed to sparkle, his chiseled jawline, his high cheekbones, his dark brunette hair. We were gazing into each other for what seemed like forever. His lips came down upon mine, and I opened up to him. He moaned at the taste of my mouth, and I finally felt whole.