that something happened to Robert,” Cristian thought. Holding the covered painting in his arms, he hailed a taxi, instructing the driver to take him into town. After paying the taxi driver when he arrived at the gallery, Cristian used his powers of illusion and walked past the security guard. “That was too easy,” he thought smugly. Walking
desk, and waited in the darkness. “I’ll wait until the gallery is closed before I put the portrait back,” he reasoned. Looking down to the“Housekeeping must’ve cleaned it up,” he said, disappointed. He picked up the phone to call Sage, but her cell phone went straight to the voicemail. “Why aren’t you answering the phone, Sage?” he wondered.
Sage grabbed her stomach in anguish. Her hunger was overwhelming her, and the animal blood lost its savor to help her control the longing. The sounds of footsteps started again and a gust of air blew out the lantern. “Pedro,” Sage yelled angrily. “Speak now, Pedro!” “Stop playing games with me.” The force of her voice shook the walls. There was silence. Looking around in the darkness, she saw nothing. She walked into the grand living room, noticing that the white cloth covering the furniture seemed to radiate in the dark with an eerie glow.
She felt the prickly sensation of being watched. Ignoring the sensation, she walked to the window and watched the sunset, thinking back to when Cristian told her he wanted a family. “Something I can’t give you,” she said aloud. The gnawing ache of her hunger along with the ache of her inability to have children tormented her. She imagined standing in the mirror rubbing her growing belly watching, with amazement, the life growing inside of her, feeling the baby kick for the first time, the miracle of giving birth, holding the newborn in her arms, and watching the child grow from an infant to a toddler…reading it bedtime stories of princes and princesses and happily ever after, playing on the beach making sandcastles, and taking it to see the wonders of the world.
Tears flowed down her eyes of anger and regret. Anger, because she would never experience having a baby due to her father’s selfishness, and regret for cursing Cristian with this life of hunger and darkness. Her mind reeling from loneliness, depression, anger, revulsion, and frustration, she flung the window open and stood on the ledge. Tipping over, she let herself freefall morphing into a raven flying through the sky and perching on the torch of the Statue of Liberty. She shifted back into her physical form, staring out toward the city as the wind caressed her cheeks. “This statue is a symbol of freedom,” Sage said. “I want to be free of this curse.”
With the gallery now closed, Cristian came from the back waiting for the moment to return the portrait. “Business has been down since the painting was stolen, and no one has still seen Robert,” he heard the director say. “Has anyone seen Cristian?” the security
KATHRYN NICHOLEguard asked.
“He was away, but I suspect he won’t be happy when he finds
out his masterpiece is gone,” the director said, stroking his goatee.
“You’re right about that,” the security guard said. “The police are
looking for a person of interest.” “There was a strange man who
would come in and stare at the painting like he wanted to jump it.”
Cristian chuckled. “He was always asking for Robert or Cristian.”
“Rafael,” Cristian thought. The lights dimmed, giving Cristian the
moment he waited for.
He set the painting quickly on the stand where it had sat
originally and walked out behind the director and unnoticed by the
guard. The security guard looked back doing a double-take. “You
won’t believe this,” the security guard called to the director. “Check
this out.” The director turned back while Cristian kept walking,
smiling that his plan worked.
Sage listened to the breeze in the air, taking her mind off her
hunger while she stood within the torch of the statue. She missed
the coven terribly. She knew they needed time for themselves, but
she had become so accustomed to their presence that now, without
them, she felt alone. Even being with Cristian didn’t fill the void
she felt. Once the blue and grey shades in the sky turned dark, she
flew from the statue overlooking the city and landed just outside
of Central Park, using the cover of the trees to avoid detection.
Wandering aimlessly through Manhattan, she found herself
standing outside of a cathedral. “I was a spiritual person once,” she
said looking up at the steeple. “I prayed. I believed. That should
count for something.”
She walked toward the door to open it, but she felt as if
something was holding her back. “Don’t forsake me,” she pleaded,
reaching for the door again, but a force sent her flying backwards.
She looked up toward the heavens, the sting of the reality of her struggle against her evil nature pouring out from deep within her as she yelled in the Arabic tongue, “I never wanted this life.” She turned and saw the apparition of her father holding out his arms to her. “Accept what you are,” he said. “No!” Sage yelled.
Cristian arrived at his loft. “It’s done, Sage,” he said. There was no reply. “Sage!” he called. “Where are you?” Feeling a chill, she clung to herself and began to walk back toward Greenwich Village. Suddenly, she was jerked forcefully into an alley. “Let me go!” she shouted.
The hooded man shoved her against the wall placing a knife against her throat. “Give me your money,” he demanded. “I don’t have any money,” she snarled. He punched her. “Well then, you’ll have to do,” he said, trying to grope her. She grabbed his arm digging in her claws until he dropped the knife, and with a crackle, snapped it. The hooded man screamed in agony. He looked at her and saw her red eyes and sharp fangs. Trying to run, he tripped over his untied shoes and fell. Sage grabbed him from his hood and jerked him back, hurling him against the wall. He fell with a thud to the ground. He tried to crawl away, but Sage stepped on his back with her stilettos grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up. “I guess you’ll have to do,” she snarled, sinking her fangs into his neck and pressing him against the wall as he struggled against her.
She drank until she could feel the life leaving the man’s body, his arms falling lifeless at his side.
Horrified by her actions, she dropped his limp body to the ground, his blood dripping down her chin. “No,” she said repeatedly. She screamed an ear-piercing scream that only dogs and other fourlegged creatures could hear. Cristian, who also heard her screams, flew out the window looking for her.