A Woman Turned

We crawled for about another mile before the path widened. It then turned into a normal pathway we could run. We did, not looking back. I was scared of where this was going to lead us. Would we end up outside, or were we going to end up in another part of the mansion?

We reached a fork in the road, both of us unsure of what to do. Donte looked, studying the pathway.

“Take right,” he said.

“But what if it doesn’t lead us the right way?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I know that it does. I’ve used this pathway before when I was a servant to Raphael. It’s the way out,” he said.

I had to trust him. I ran that way, Donte following suit. When we reached the end of the pathway, I was in shock. It was the surface all right.

When we got out of there, I saw two guards waiting for us. They each had stakes, but Donte knew he needed to get away. He fought them, stabbing one of the guys in the stomach and the other in the chest. It was a quick fight, Donte knew he had to be fast on his feet. It was the only way he was going to make it out safely.

After he took down the two guards, he grabbed my hand and we ran again. I saw a trail of guards chasing us, but when we got into the forest, we were able to lose them. It wasn’t an easy ordeal, but we managed to lose them after about a mile and a half of running. When we got to the park, I saw one of the guards hanging around.

“Sh*t they’re here. What do we do?” I asked.

“We have to hide. Come with me,” he said.

We ran over to the visitor’s center. Donte grabbed the lock, picking it with a small knife he had. After he opened the door he pushed me inside. We ran to the utility closet and sat in there. It was dark, but I felt happy. Still, there was something else that made me blush.

I was right next to Donte. He smelled so nice, like cinnamon. I didn’t notice this until now, but it was almost intoxicating in a way. I stood next to him for a bit, breathing in his scent. I don’t know why he had this effect on me, but he definitely made me feel flushed and hot.

“Well, that should be the last of them for now. I know Raphael is going to freak. He’s not happy with the idea of you leaving. But I couldn’t just sit there and watch you get treated like dirt because of him. You’re too amazing for that. Plus, the man gypped you out of life, and I don’t think that it’s fair,” he explained.

I agreed. I didn’t want to be holed up there forever. But they weren’t going to give up. I knew they’d be after us for a long time. I had another thing on my mind though.

“I want to see Ryan. I just got out, and I bet he’s worried sick about me. I would feel bad if I didn’t,” I said. I didn’t know what Ryan would think when he saw me, but I know that I had to go see him. It was imperative.

Donte looked at me with a worried glance. What bothered him about it? Was it because he was my boyfriend? Or was it something else.

“I don’t think you should do that,” he said.

“Why not? I mean, I just want to tell him I’m okay. After that, I’ll come back here. I’ll tell him that I won’t be able to see him for a while. If he asks, I’ll just use the excuse of work or something,” I replied. It seemed fair, plus I didn’t want to worry him.

I could tell by Donte’s eyes that he wasn’t happy with the idea of this. In fact, he looked more irked than anything.

“I don’t think you should. You’re a vampire now. Not only are you limited during the day, but you’re also not going to be able to mingle with him. Plus, he’s going to see that you look different. Your skin is paler now. You still have color to your skin, but when you turn you do look paler and weaker,” he said.

I knew that Ryan probably won’t care about it. I just needed to see him one last time. It was important.

“I’m sorry Donte, but I don’t think I can sit around when he’s wondering where I am. I have to see him. I’ll handle him,” I replied.

He looked at me with a worried glance, but I flashed him a look of excitement. I wasn’t going to let him win. I needed to see Ryan one last time.

I planted a kiss on his cheek, causing his cheeks to redden. It was cute in a way, but I had another thing to worry about.

“How many hours do I have until daylight?” I asked.

“About nine. Will that be enough?” he asked.

“More than enough. I’ll see him and then leave,” I said.

I got up and ran out of the visitor’s center. The men were gone, at least for now. I ran over to Ryan’s house, not caring about what was going to happen next. I needed to see him, and that urge was getting to me.

When I got to the house, I knocked on the door. After a couple of minutes, Ryan approached the door. I could hear him, and when he opened the door, he had the most shocked expression I’ve ever seen on his face. I guess he never expected me to come back so easily.

“Whoa! What are you doing here?” he asked. I didn’t expect him to act that surprised. I thought he would be happy that I was back.

“Oh I just came to check up on you. I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet. I’ve had a ton of work stuff come up. And I had to get a new phone. My old one broke,” I stated. I hadn’t gotten a new phone yet, but I definitely needed to. I felt nervous about telling him anything else.

He looked at me, studying my face. He was hesitant, and I didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Is something the matter?” I asked

He shook his head.