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To mortals, the air around the narrow path would have smelled of roses but to Adrian, it smelled of despair and agony: the precursors of death. He still had to get used to his usually gained ability to smell human emotions; it wasn’t a skill he thought highly of but avoiding it wasn’t an option. Occasionally, his new talents overwhelmed him, and that certainly could cause problems. All the negativity threatened to suffocate him and, even though breathing had become more like a habit than a necessity, he was more than a little uncomfortable.

He felt a small sting as he pushed open the wrought-iron gate and looked at his hand. The blood that streamed out of the deep gash on his palm glistened in the moonlight. As he stared, the wound quickly closed up. He wiped his hand off on his dark trousers and examined it again; there was nothing there, not even a scar. He pushed the gate open again, this time he seen the large thorn that camouflaged itself in the blanket of ivy and easily avoided another injury.

The Newberry Manor Garden was one of the most alluring places in all of Europe. With its intricate landscaping and enchanting marble statues, it was the ideal meeting for nobles, and there’s nothing the Newberrys loved more than hosting social gatherings. In fact, it was during one of these events that Adrian saw Victoria for the first time.

Victoria Newberry, the only daughter of Duke Edmund and Duchess Isabella, was well known for her beauty as well as her talented singing voice. It was this voice that led him away from his parents and out the back door of the mansion to the garden. He was too shy to announce his presence so he watched her from behind a large rose bush. They were both young, nether were over ten years old. He fell in love with her almost instantly, but it wasn’t until a year later that they were actually introduced to each other.

Now she stood almost exactly where she had when he first laid eyes on her twelve years ago, but this time she wasn’t singing. Her tight blonde curls spilled out over the back of her black mourning dress. She was much thinner than when he last saw her and, as far as he could tell from looking at her back, she had gotten paler as well. She was obviously suffering and it hurt him to see her like that. She used to be so full of life; then again so was he.

So much has changed since he left everyone behind two years ago. He sometimes still wondered why it happened but every time he caught himself thinking about this topic he’d push it out of his head; he hated his naïveté. He had loved her and she had loved him. He thought it was that simple. Perhaps it was that simple-minded philosophy that got her in that state, and got him killed.

“It’s been two years,” he said softly, “yet you still blame yourself. You are a damned fool.”

She turned around abruptly as if she heard him and he felt as if his heart was being torn apart. Her usually bright hazel eyes were dark from lack of sleep. He had noticed she was pale before but he didn’t realize just how much color she lost; she looked like a phantom. The combination of light and shadow that fell across her angular features only made her look even more ghastly. The past few years had obviously taken their toll on her, and Adrian couldn’t accept it. He was the one who died, but she was the one in pain. Tonight, he intended to bring that pain to an end.



The garden seemed like the best place to do it. Tall hedges and flowering plants blocked the view from the mansion. It was secluded and quiet. Only the blind eyes of the statues were there to see what was about to happen. The statues that used to draw Adrian to the garden now jeered at him from the shadows; he had become an intruder.

Victoria slumped down on the edge of the large water fountain that was the center of the garden. Her hair shielded her face but he could tell she was crying again. He hesitated for a few seconds before he went to her side and sat down a few feet away. She sniffled and gripped the side for support.

Adrian pitied her and closed the distance between them. When he laid his hand on hers, her fingers tightened as if she could feel his touch. She couldn’t, of course, even though he could feel the warmth of her hand under his. That was the closest he had ever been to his fiancée in two whole years. He lightly touched her cheek and trailed a tear with his finger. All of this had been his fault; all of this happened because he had been too stupid to see what was going on before it was too late. He still didn’t completely understand it.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a medium-sized blue-green stone on a silver chain. He slipped the Draconian charm around his neck and looked at the water. It was the first time in a long time he had seen his reflection and it startled him. Long black hair framed his pale white face and the shadows made him look even more like a phantom than Victoria. His steely blue eyes looked much colder then he remembered. He shook his head at the specter in the water, turned back around, and threw his arm over Victoria’s shoulders.

“Please,” she sniffled, ”I don’t want nor do I need your company.” She kept a steady gaze on the stones beneath her feet. “Just go.”

“Are you sure my company will not suffice?” he asked softly. He had to jerk his head to the side to avoid being hit by her flying curls.

“Adrian? What are…? How could…? You’re dead!”

“Do I look dead to you?” Adrian didn’t want to waste the few minutes they had together on stupid questions but knowing Victoria, she’d never give in until she figured out everything.


“No,” she sighed. “I suppose not. Oh, I get it! You must have done something to upset the King. You faked your death and fled the country to avoid execution and Dameon was in on it so he had to leave to. Where did you go? Denmark?”


“Something like that.”


“Then why did you come back?”


“You don’t want me around?”


“Don’t say that,” she said with more strength to her voice than Adrian thought possible. “I can’t live without you! I —”


“Shhh. I know. I know,” He said softly. “I came back to take you with me.”


“Take me where?”


“You’ll see once we get there.” He could smell the confusion and disbelief rising off her skin but he couldn’t do anything about it; it was time. He dropped his left hand out of her line of sight and felt the energy rush to his fingertips. The air around his hand became heavy and started to form into a long shaft.


“Kiss me.”


“Hmm?” He broke his concentration and the flow of energy ceased. The air grew light again and he brought his attention back to her.


“You’ve been gone for two years. I want you to kiss me,” she told him. He leaned toward her but she stopped him with a hand. “Stand up or we’ll both go into the fountain. Besides, I want a proper kiss from a proper gentleman.” She grabbed his hand and tugged.


“I don’t think I could please you as a proper gentleman anymore,” he said softly as he let her drag him to his feet.


“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s only been two years. Nothing has changed between us.” She stepped up to him and looked into his eyes as if she was being hypnotized. She threw her arms around his neck. “Nothing at all.”


“We’ll see about that,” he murmured as he took the back of her head in his left hand and the small of her back in his right. This close he could smell the life that emanated off her and feel it pulse through her and he wanted it. The part of his mind that was still human was disgusted with what he wanted from Victoria and strained to get control. He hesitated for a few seconds to regain composure. Unfortunately, his internal struggle did not go unnoticed by his partner.


“Is there something wrong?”


“No. It’s nothing,” he said as he pushed his ‘human mind’ aside. He had come for Victoria and he will get her, whatever it takes. He pulled her closer to him and watched her close her eyes. It was his last chance to resist, to turn and walk away. No matter what he did, he was sure to regret it later. No. She knows I’m here. She’d just kill herself trying to find me again.

‘How’s that any worse than what you are doing now,’ whispered a tiny voice in the back of his head.


He ignored the voice and leaned down to her; he had made up his mind.


‘Don’t do this!’ the voice screeched but, again, Adrian pushed it aside. As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt her whole body tense up, then slowly relax as her life force drained into him. He could taste the bitterness of those two years she spent without him and that taste settled on his tongue. He felt her steadily grow weaker until he had to hold her up. After a minute or so, he released her and spread her limp body out over the ground. He kneeled over her and brushed the hair out of her eyes.


“Adri…I feel…cold…..What have…?” she managed to choke out.


“Shhh. I know,” he murmured as he stood up. He held out his hand and concentrated energy to his fingertips. The air in front of him wavered and grew heavy as a scythe materialized in his outstretched hand. “This will be all over soon.”

He reached into his pocket and took out a black orb the size of an orange. He raised it up to about shoulder high and let it go directly above Victoria. Instead of falling, it hung in the air as if it was suspended on invisible threads. In one swift movement, he gripped his weapon tightly and brought the blade down through her heart. When he drew it out, it came away clean.


He watched as the golden fluid-like mass rose from where the wound should be and disappear into the levitating orb. When the soul had been taken, he snatched the orb out of the air and returned it to his pocket. He took one last look at Victoria, lying peacefully in the middle of the garden and walked away. He didn’t look back as he passed through the gates, and as he slipped the charm off his neck, he vowed that he would get involved with human ever again.