“You haven’t seen anything yet!” Benji said, smirking at her.
The two sat together on the tree branch and watched the yellow and orange sun go behind the trees. It was slowly getting dark and they decided they’d better get back inside before it turned pitch black out.
Benji flew Rachel back to the balcony and they went back inside. The house was silent and empty. Benji led her up the steep spiral staircase that led into his bedroom suite. As they got inside, he covered her shoulders with a big wool blanket and lit a fire in his fireplace.
They sat there on the edge of his bed and gazed into each other’s eyes. Rachel had never felt so close to someone, or so in love as she did at that moment. She felt, for the first time, that she completely understood him. She wanted to stay with him forever at the castle, and never leave. She hadn’t even thought about home or her family and friends since she’d arrived. All she could think about was being with Benji.
He put his cold hand on her leg and started rubbing it up and down her warm thigh. Rachel turned to him and he leaned in to kiss her. They slowly began kissing, passionately, as their bodies moved up towards the head of the bed. Benji put his hand under her sweater and began to undress her. She caressed his body for the first time. She’d never gotten this far with any guy before, and was happy her first time was with Benji, the love of her life.
As the two lay there, naked, next to each other for the first time, Benji turned to her and whispered, “Rachel, I love you.”
Rachel’s heart fluttered, and she grew speechless. She felt it, too. She felt her heart longing for Benji, and a deep feeling of love filled her body. She couldn’t keep it inside anymore.
“I love you, too,” Rachel whispered back.
Then, a question that was burning inside of her suddenly came out, “Why did you risk it all for me?”
“Because, I love you, Rachel.”
“But why me?”
“I’ve always loved you, and I knew the time was right for us to finally be together.”
They began to kiss again, even more passionately than before. Rachel wondered if they were going to go all the way. She felt her body longing for his, to be closer, to be one.
All of a sudden Rachel could hear a loud banging coming from the knocker of the large front door.
“Who’s that?” Rachel asked, startled, sitting up.
“I don’t know,” Benji sat up, too. “I’m not expecting anyone and I’m the only person home.”
“Should you go down and find out who it is?”
Rachel reached for her bra and sweater.
“Wait,” Benji said. “I don’t want to stop.”
Rachel continued putting her clothes back on as she sat there, in fear of who was at the castle door. She wondered if it were her sister, or her parents. She suddenly worried her family was coming to find her. Although she realized the only person who remotely knew where she was was Sarah, and she would never seek her out like this.
They sat there together, in bed as the knocking grew louder and louder. She looked at Benji who sat there with a frightened look on his face.
This look gave Rachel a disconcerting feeling, and she wanted to run and hide.
The knocking grew even louder and then, stopped.
The two sat there silently, and waited for something else to happen.
Then, a moment later, she heard the door creak open.
Chapter Nineteen
Hunter didn’t want to take any chances. He flew faster than ever to Lyndvia Castle to warn Benji about Violet’s threat to terminate him and Rachel.
When he arrived there, the blinds were drawn and the doors were all locked. He knocked on the large knocker but nobody answered. He took out his cell phone to dial Benji, and then remembered the castle was in a dead zone.
Hunter grabbed the large brass knocker and this time knocked as loud as he could, hoping that Benji would hear him.
Then, he remembered that there was a key hidden in the trunk of the old oak tree that stood out front of the castle. He ran quickly to get it and then back to the door, out of breath and anxious to get inside.
Fidgeting, he managed to get the key in the small keyhole and turned the knob. The door creaked open, and Hunter ran inside yelling, for Benji and Rachel.
He waited in the foyer for someone to answer, but it was silent. All he could hear were Chopin’s Nocturnes playing on the player piano coming from the living room.
“Benji, Rachel, are you here? You need to get out of here quick!” his voice rang out across the house.
“Hello! Who’s there?” Benji yelled down from the top of the spiral staircase.
“It’s me, Hunter!”
“What are you doing here?” Benji yelled back.
“Hurry! There’s no time, you have to get out of here!”
Hunter ran up the stairs as quick as he could to find Benji and Rachel quickly getting dressed. Benji was standing at the foot of his bed and Rachel was sitting straight up in bed, fidgeting with her sweater and looking petrified.
“You have to listen to me,” Hunter said. “You have to leave now!”
“What do you mean?” Benji asked.
“There’s no time. Pack your things. I know a place that’s safe where we can hide,” Hunter said.
“What are you talking about?” Rachel asked.
“Violet knows everything and she’s out to get both of you. She won’t stop until you are both dead,” Hunter shrieked.
“But why?” Benji retorted.
“She’s roused her entire coven the Greslins and they’re going to be here soon. You don’t have time. Move now!” Hunter prodded.
“Wait a minute,” Benji remarked. “Why did you tell her where we were?”
“I didn’t tell her. She already knows. Don’t you get it? She can hear everything. She is evil. You don’t understand this girl.”
“Well thanks for giving us away,” Benji said, with a upset look on his face.
“What do you mean? You’re the one that started this! You’re the one who opened your big mouth and got yourself in this mess in the first place,” Hunter said, angrily.
“Are you kidding? I didn’t do anything,” Benji said, sticking up for himself.
“You’re selfish, Benji, just like you’ve always been. You’ve not only jeopardized yourself, you’ve jeopardized our whole coven. And all for a human,” Hunter said, looking directly at Rachel.
Hunted and Benji start walking towards each other as if to fight. Hunter threw down his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.