Mates in Another Time

She must escape. There was no way that she would let Vivian be her sire by changing her into a vampire. No way. It would be suicide to remain here and be sired by such a woman. After Vivian’s test, she had felt Vivian’s emotions. There was hate pouring off her and she could sense the danger that was lurking beneath, directly at her. She knew that Vivian had eyes for Quinn. She wanted him all for herself. Isabel had sensed it more lately. Could that be where the hate came from and why she despised her, because Quinn only had eyes for her? Still, that couldn’t be all there was to it could there? They had been friends for over five years now, yet she felt no such friendship radiating off her. No, it felt like she was anticipating her destruction in some way. That she would make it look like an accident too. It didn’t help that a witch had warned her of the vision of her possible future and those words had lingered in her mind from that moment on. Today made her fear that the vision might come true if she remained. That little test of Vivian’s was enough for her to know that the witch’s vision could come to fruition. It was time to leave this place. Escape was necessary for her survival. She didn’t know just how Vivian would remove her from this world, but had sensed enough hostility to know it might be sooner rather than later. Quinn would be devasted once he found out she vanished without a word, but it was the only way to stay alive. After today, here was no other choice but to flee from this place and to be free of this life. She had to live. It was engrained in her to survive. The instinct inside her forced her feet forward, demanding to depart this place now while she could. It was a feeling that was impossible to dismiss. Now she had to leave before the rest of that witch’s vision became a reality. Having been on guard duty and being in the top of her group, she knew how this place functioned. This time in the morning was perfect. Right now was the perfect time of day for her plan. All the human students would be asleep until breakfast time and it was just about time for the guards to be switching out. At this moment was the easiest way to take advantage of the academy security. Sneaking through the corridors she made sure her footsteps were light and that her breathing was controlled. Just around the corner there was a secret passage in the wall that no one knew about besides Quinn and herself. Not even Vivian seemed to know about these hidden passages. These secret passages had been Quinn and her’s secret place to meet one another to be alone with no prying ears or eyes to see. Now, they would be the best way to get out of this place. Thank goodness they had found them. A noise stopped her in her tracks. Light voices reached her ears. They were too far away to be in the hallway she needed. With a quickness in her step, she moved forward and peeked around the corner of the dark hallway to ensure that it was indeed empty. The voices were growing louder though. She had to act fast, or they might catch her. Moving forward quickly, she used her hand to find the small button on the panel of the floor which opened the small hatch she needed. She hurried inside the hidden passage and hit the button quickly to make the small part of the wall slide back shut. The passage was then encased in complete darkness. Using the walls, she skimmed her fingers against them helping guide her as she went down the corridor. Her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her, but it was difficult. Thankfully, Quinn and her had traveled the tunnels quite often and explored where they all went. It helped make it easy to navigate even with the darkness that enveloped her. She knew the one path she needed and how to get there. The path led to a tunnel area that came out about a mile from the mansion right out into the forest. Most likely this had been designed to be an escape route though whose use had never been needed As she strode through the dark corridors, it left her mind wondering and those wondering thoughts were of Quinn. She couldn’t stop herself from remembering the special moments they shared together in these corridors. Of their shared kisses and passionate touches. It made the love she had for him doubt what she was doing. Was it the right decision to leave? Yes, she had to leave to avoid a terrible fate she felt looming. But was it necessary to leave Quinn behind? Yes, she had to leave him. There was no way he would allow for her to leave. No, instead he would find ways to convince her to stay and he might succeed if she gave him the chance to. He coveted what they offered. The idea of immortality and strength is tempting, and he would try to persuade her to want it with him so they could be together forever. Chances were, he would probably say that the spell had her off kilter and to not let this spoil their future together. That spell had revealed more to her about that second face even if he was blissfully unaware. He didn’t see that Vivian had a second face to her and would never show her true intentions to Quinn. There was just no way he would believe her that Vivian was malevolent. Not the one that would bless them with the bite to longevity. All these contemplations were why she persisted to flee from this place even though it felt like her heart was breaking. Maybe she should turn back to get him? Maybe he would be okay staying human with her. Stopping for a moment she shook her head. No, she knew she couldn’t stop. Knew that those thoughts before would be accurate. Vivian would find a way to destroy their bond once she turned him anyway. It was just an inevitable outcome. Leaving him along with this place was her only option. She had to lock her heart from her feelings of Quinn. Just as she had done so many times before meeting him. It was best to lock everything deep down within herself. I’m sorry Quinn. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her tasks ahead no longer allowing herself to linger on him any longer. Finally, she reached the small cavern that led to the forest surrounding the academy mansion. Once she reached the woods, she picked up the pace to a run. Being able to see better in the early morning it was time to pick up the pace. She had to get to Lucian’s territory. The witch had told her Lucian would help her. That he was much kinder than most of the Master vampires, especially Viktor. It was an added benefit that it was a few territories away from Viktor’s and not a friend of his one bit. It felt like an hour had passed as she continued to jog through the forest. She wouldn’t even allow herself to stop for a moment for fear of them catching her. That fear was enough for them to keep moving without stopping. There was no way she could stop. They would be waking up shortly and notice her missing. If the guards didn’t notice right away Quinn would notice and the search would ensue. Keep moving. That became the motto through her mind. Movement out of the corner of her right eye forced her feet to completely stop. Eyes shifting to the spot her gaze racked over that of just tree trunks and bushes. Did she just imagine it? She knew she was filled with tension and anxiety. Maybe that had caused her to think she saw more than what there was. “Hurry. I knew you would come here today. They are following already. I’ll cover our tracks while we get you out of here.” She was beyond shocked; that was the witch’s voice that had warned her about the trouble ahead of her just mere weeks ago. But where exactly was she? Shifting occurred in the leaves where her gaze was locked, and the witch flickered right into existence. She must had been invisible, and it was beyond impressive to see such powerful magic being used. The witch’s hand was held out to her and without a second thought Isabel hurried over to the witch’s offered hand. Once her hand was placed in the witch’s grasp she felt magic shift over them, cloaking them both into what she assumed would make them invisible as she had been before. “My magic will suppress our scent and trail. There is no way they will find you now.” Quickly they traveled through the forest with swift steps and finally the road came into view. Thank goodness. The anxiety of being caught started to slowly recede as she noticed up on the side of the road was an waiting black sedan. “Get in. They definitely won’t catch us now.” No further discussion needed, Isabel scurried to the passenger door, jumping inside and clicking her seat belt on with one fluid motion. The witch mimicked her on the driver’s side and with a quick flick of the keys the car’s engine came to life and charged forward, away from this wretched place. With each second the vehicle stormed ahead faster as the gears shifted. “They won’t see us. I ensured no one would see my vehicle while I kept it here. Never know where they might be watching.” “That’s clever. How did you know where to find me Cassandra?” Isabel was beyond blessed that she was here. She didn’t know if she would have been able to actually escape from this place otherwise. They would have caught her and who knew what would happen if they had. Maybe that was why the overwhelming need to flee took over when it did. Maybe her instinct just knew Cassandra was going to be there for her. “I had a feeling I needed to be here. It was impossible to ignore so I went with my gut intuition and drove here. I just followed that feeling until I found you. I’ve learned a long time ago to trust my intuition. Now let’s get to Lucian’s area. He won’t allow them in unless they could detect you which they won’t. I have a charm here that will hide your presence from anyone trying to look for you. No witch can overpower it. Just make sure you wear it at all times.” She held a necklace up that was just a small sapphire gemstone on a silver chain. Retrieving the necklace from her, Isabel didn’t know why she was assisting her. “Thank you, but why are you helping me out by going this far. I don’t deserve it.” Cassandra held a sly smile on her face like she knew more than she was willing to tell her. That there was a secret that amused her. “You saved my life. If you would have called for the guards to detain me, I would probably be dead or serving that damn family. No way in hell will I let that happen nor will I let them have another person who doesn’t want to be a part of it.” That couldn’t be it. No way was that all there was to it. She could feel it in her bones there was more to this story. “That still isn’t worth all you have done. I wasn’t going to turn you in for doing nothing. You weren’t evil like they said.” “Exactly. Anyone else would have said I was evil and confine me, but you didn’t. You saved my skin that day and I will return the favor.” Isabel could tell there was still more behind her intentions but decided to let it go for now. She couldn’t continue to interrogate the person who was supporting her escape. Plus, it seemed like she wouldn’t tell her regardless of how much she tried to pry into it. “Why did you decide to escape today? It has been what, a few weeks since our encounter?” “Vivian did something that made me realize that what you said was about to come true if I didn’t leave. I couldn’t let her sire me. She would have used me, and I won’t let that happen. I just got this overpowering feeling inside to escape.” No, she would stay human for as long as she could and not be a slave for one more second to that family. “Thank you so very much for all your assistance. Now that I think about it, leaving with not much of a plan wasn’t a smart decision. Thank god you were there or I might not be a me any longer.” After those exchange of words they drove in silence. The drive to Lucian’s area took a few days’ worth of travel in the car with a few stops for gas and rest, but when they finally arrived, Cassandra parked the car in front of a mansion. It seemed the city could be seen off in the distance, but it was far enough away to be secluded. This building seemed similar but was much smaller in comparison to the academy she had been raised in. The academy had been more like a castle while this place was a comfortable yet sizeable mansion. It was still grand and would hold many, just not the grand structure like the academy. This place actually felt like a home. Now that they had arrived they both exited the vehicle and gazed at the mansion before them. “Here we are. I let Lucian know we would be here before I left to get you. He should be expecting us.” As they strolled up to the door together, Isabel noticed a man that stood guard next to the main door to this place. Without a word, Cassandra looked to the man who gave a slight nod before opening the door for them. Once they entered the foyer the door closed gently behind them. Cassandra seemed to know just where to go as she strode forward, guiding them through this main room to the grand staircase that led to the left and right wings of the building. It was larger on the inside than she originally thought from the outside. Though just like the outside the inside was just as elegant and held an even warmer feel to it to give the sense of welcoming. Though she wanted to continue to examine the room around her Isabel had to follow Cassandra as she strode to the stairs and up them. Not probably the best to get lost in someone’s home by being nosy. Especially someone that was trying to help her. Finally up the stairs they went to the right and then three doors down where a door stood wide open which Cassandra entered into. “Ah, Cassandra. You’ve finally made it.” The words were from a deep silky male voice. A voice that felt familiar and yet no way could it be. She had never been out of the academy and met many others. Strange, but there was no point to continue wondering about this. It would be rude to keep him waiting so she followed in after Cassandra. Behind a desk sat a man who many would find beyond handsome. He had his elbows on the desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands in front of him. He wore a pristine suit giving him a signified look though his chocolate brown hair held a messier appeal, as if he had been combing his hand through it a few times recently in distress. Though the feeling of calm could be felt through the room belying such a notion of feeling distressed. He had a strong clean-shaven face, but what captured her attention the most were his eyes. Emerald eyes intently watched her and seemed to ensnare her in them. Something about them felt comforting. “Ah, so this must be Isabel. I’m glad you both have made it here.” “Yes, this is Isabel. Thank you again Lucian for taking her in.” That broke the trance his eyes seemed to have on her. So, this was indeed the famous Lucian she had only heard name of. He wasn’t at all what she had heard from Viktor and Vivian. Now that she knew it was indeed Lucian, she bowed slightly knowing this was a Master vampire who needed the respect due to him. She had been taught to always be respectful to those who were of higher rank than her. “Yes, thank you very much for allowing me to enter your home.” When she looked back to him, she avoided his eyes not wanting to get sucked back into them.