Into the woods I P U B L I S H E D

„It’s funny how the truth can be so cruel sometimes,

all the lies I have to face, but at the end, I know how it feels.”

- Elizabeth

Elizabeth

The Nightclaw mansion was one of the biggest and one of the most beautiful mansions I have ever seen. The beauty of the mansion could be compared to the Drottningholm palace in Sweden, but even the Drottningholm palace wasn’t a match to Henry’s home. There was something creepy and mysterious about his mansion that made it beautiful.

The mansion itself was placed behind giant iron gothic gates, guarded by two giant wolves. The same wolves from the library. Each wolf stood on two feet, carrying a giant sword with their tongues sticking down their nuzzles.

Two living crows were standing on the top of those wolves, looking everything around themselves, and I could swear that they were staring at me as two men dressed in black opened the door for Henry and me.

They bowed their head in respect, avoiding any eye contact with us.

Henry stopped the car, and without saying a word, he opened the door, walked to my side and opened the door for me. I thanked him as I got out and took his already reached hand in mine.

„Mr. Nightclaw,” Said the man on the right. Henry nodded his head, and as the two men took the car and drove it on the right side of the path, more men showed up in the property wearing the same exact black suits. Just like the two men before, they bowed their head too.

„Why do they bow their head?” I whispered to Henry as I waved to the men.

„It’s a sign of respect,” He leaned his head down at me. „They show their respect to their king and queen.”

„Queen?”

He nodded, leaned down and kissed me on the lips. „Yes, you are their queen just as you are mine.” I looked at him speechlessly, my eyes focused on his green ones as I was searching for something different, like some redness or blackness.

„You are weird,” I shook my head, turning my attention the never-ending maze in front of me. We walked down the maze, on a path between big green bushes, surrounded by the same headless sculptures that I saw the first time I was here.

But these sculptures looked newer, unlike the other ones. There were fountains placed in the middle of the paths, and they were full of small black fishes.

„They look scary,” I said as we passed another sculpture.

Henry laughed. „Yes, they are. My brother liked to sculpt things like that. It gave him a sick satisfaction to creep people out with them,” Placing his hand on my left shoulder, he pulled me into his body so I could feel the warmness coming out of him.

„Which one? Tyler or Nicklaus?” He shook his head, his eyes closing for a second before he bit his lower lip. „Noah.”

“You never talked to me about him,” I said.

“I never will.”

As I was about to ask him about what he meant by that, the giant mansion appeared in front of us, and it looked even more beautiful than from far away.

The mansion itself was peach black, some of the black stones were broken, replaced by the beautiful ivy that also covered more than half the mansion. The windows were black too, and at the end of each window, two gargoyles in the shape of a man with a wolf’s head were placed, the water already pouring down their mouths.

„Why are they pouring the water out? There is no rain,” I asked Henry.

„Ask my mother. She designed them,” Henry pulled my hand as I returned to my attention back to the beautiful nightmare in front of me.

The giant black door opened, and the wolf’s head on it, split in half as the entire Nightclaw family walked out with Mrs. Wolfowitz and a couple of maids behind them.

Nicklaus, Tyler, and their mother Ella and father Michael stood all in a line, a small smile was placed on their lips, except on Tyler’s. He was looking at me with a frown on his face as he lifted his chin up when we approached them.

„You are finally here,” Ella hugged me before I had got a chance to greet them all. She hugged me so tight that I could bearly breath.

I heard Henry telling her to let me go, and as she did that, I smiled at her. „It is nice seeing you again, Mrs. Nightclaw.” She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Please, call me Ella.”

Turning her attention to Henry, she hugged him and whispered something in his that made him shook his head. Ella moved away from him, and behind her, Mr. Nightclaw approached me, his eyes scanning me whole.

„So you must be Elizbeth,” He reached for my hand and we shook. „I’m Michael Nightclaw, Henry’s father.”

„Nice to meet you Mr. NIghtclaw.” He nodded with a smile on his face as I was trying not to look terrified of his black eyes.

„I guess that I don’t need an introduction,” Nicklaus said with his arms open for me. I moved past Mr. Nightcalw to Nicklaus, giving him a big hug. „I missed you,” I said to him, a smile dancing on my lips but as soon as he looked down at me, my smile was gone because when I saw his eyes, I immediately remembered who he was.

What he is. I wished that it was different. That he was different because I wanted someone who was human as a friend.

„I missed you too.” I felt someone’s hand on my back, and when Nicklaus let me go, Henry was the one whose hand pulled me away. He looked at Nicklaus with a murderous look.

I placed my hand on him. „Hey. It’s okay.” Looking at me, he smiled and nodded quickly.

„Tyler, come to meet your brother’s girlfriend,” Ella said to Tyler who was wearing a suit and leaning on the wall. His eyes were throwing daggers at me, and I couldn’t stop wondering If he knew that I was there the night he and Henry killed a man.

The small smirk that he gave me told me that he knew, and I almost fell down on the floor but Henry caught me. „Woah, are you okay?”

„Yes,” I took a deep breath as my eyes were focused on Tyler again.

He moved from the wall. „I already know her, mum,” He said to his mother before he focused on me again. „It’s nice seeing you again, Elizabeth.”

„And you too,” I tried to look strong in front of everyone, even I knew that there was a possibility that I would not make it out today. Before Tyler left us standing outside the mansion, he lifted his hand up, turned to Henry and as he looked at me, he smiled. „We have to talk brother. It’s important,” As soon as he said that, my face turned paler and I prayed to God that I didn’t die tonight.

„Okay, we will talk after lunch,” Henry said.

„Everything is already served madam,” A maid said to Mrs. Nightclaw.

„Perfect. I hope you are hungry Elizabeth,” Mrs. Nightclaw said to me.

Everyone started walking back into the mansion, and I admired the stairs that were covered with ivy.

„Where do the stairs lead?” I asked Henry.

He looked at the stairs. „They used to lead to my brother’s old room.”

„What happened to Noah?” I locked my fingers with Henry’s.

„I don’t know,” His face turned sadder.

The two maids closed the door behind us, and I came across a giant wolf sigil in front of me. The wolf was big and was made of iron, while beneath it, black and red lines were placed. I walked to the sigil and read the line beneath the wolf.

Flectere si nequeo superos, ego imperare inferos.

It was the same quote from the library entrance.

„I saw this before at the library. It was placed above the main door.” Henry approached me, standing next to me as I admired the wolf in front of us.

„It’s not only at the library, but it’s also on every property that my family owns,” He said.

„Yeah, but what does it mean?” I asked.

Henry smirked, making me look at him. „If I can not bend the will of Heaven, then I will rule hell.”

~ - ~

We sat at the big black dining table, enjoying the food that Mrs. Wolfowitz and the rest oft he servants made for us, and I couldn’t help myself not to look everything around me. The entire room screamed gothic. Everything from the red wallpapers with candlelights, red and black chairs, the black fireplace with their family portrait above and all the little gothic things placed in the room.

But the most beautiful part was definitely the ceiling and all the fallen angels that were painted on. Some parts of the ceiling were chipped down, and a small amount of it had already fallen down, but it still looked beautiful. Especially under the three candlelight chandeliers that were hanging from it.

It made it more fragile and romantic.

But the atmosphere in the room was far from that. It was intense, and every time when someone tried to ask me something about me, it made me feel exposed and paranoid at the same time. What if something would slip out of my mouth about that night? What would happen then?

I answered everything about myself, about my family, where I came from and my history, of course leaving the part about Jack. I don’t know when I’m going to tell Henry, but today was definitely not the day to think about that kind of stuff, because the only thing that mattered right now was making sure that I got out of this mansion alive.

Henry reached for the salt next to me, his fingers accidentally touching my hand. He did that every few seconds, trying to comfort me in every way possible, but the only thing that could comfort me right now was my prayings.

Everyone joked around about something now or then while I was just sitting here, next to Henry at the head of the table, trying to calm down as I took another bite.

„This is delicious. What is this?” I pointed with my fork at the meat.

„Human,” I stopped chewing as soon as Tyler said the words.

„Tyler! Stop pranking the girl,” Mrs. Nightclaw said and everyone started laughing. All of them except for me.

„It’s pork,” Henry whispered into my ear.

Trying to swallow the remaining meat in my mouth, I almost choked on it.

You are lucky that you weren’t on the table. My subconscious said, I and I couldn’t agree more with her.

„Are you okay?” Henry stood up from the chair, pulled my hair behind just in case If I threw up.

„I was just jocking Elizabeth, it’s not a big deal,” Tyler commented and Henry gave him a death glare.

I nodded. „I need to use the bathroom,” I stood up from the chair. „Excuse me for a second.”

Mrs. Nightclaw stood up, waved at Mrs. Wolfowitz who was standing in the corner of the room. „Mrs. Wolfowitz will show you the way to the bathroom.” Mrs. Wolfowitz walked to the table, took my hand and started leading me out of the room, but not before I caught Henry’s eyes full of concern.

„Is everything all right, my dear?” Mrs. Wolfowitz asked as soon as we walked out of the dining room.

I nodded. „Yes, I think the food didn’t sit well in my stomach.” She opened her mouth say something but she closed them and nodded, smiling at me.

We walked down the rusty golden hallway covered with candlelights, gothic mirrors which some of them were broken, portraits, I guess, are from the former family members. And just like in the dining room, the ceiling was covered with fallen angels with creepy faces, but the floor was completely different. It had black and white tiles that were covered with a never-ending red carpet. The hallway looked like it came straight from a gothic wonderland.

„The Nightclaw family lives here for over two hundred years, just like mine too. My ancestors served the family before they even got here.” I paid my attention back to the old woman with grey hair. She smiled at me and I returned with the same smile.

„So you know everything about them?” A man walked down the hall with a phone on his ear, his eyes immediately focused on me and it took him a second before he paid his attention to Mrs. Wolfowitz next to me.

Both of them nodded to each other before she focused on me again. „My family is keeping their secret since I could remember,” She smiled at me again. „And now you know too.” Looking at her confused, I stopped in the middle of the hallway, thinking about what say. „What secret?” I asked

„Oh, you know...” She shut up before it came out from her mouth.

She knows about them.

„You don’t know?”

I shook my head. „I don’t know what are you talking about.” She blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and as she placed her hand over her mouth, she walked back down the hallway, leaving me alone in the middle of the mansion.

„The bathroom is on your left,” With a shaky hand, she pointed to the door next to me before she started walking down the hall again.

Shaking my head, I opened the door to the bathroom, and walked straight to the golden mirror and looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked pale, like Death itself came to take my weak body. Washing my face, I took a clean towel that was hanging next to the sink, and as I dried my face, I looked myself back in the mirror. I didn’t look like myself anymore. All this mess made me feel exhausted. But I needed to be strong. I know I could be stronger.

I leaned on the sink, took my phone out and checked if I had any messages.

Ashley’s name popped up and for the third time in life, I didn’t know what to do. Did I really want to found out the truth now, at Henry’s home as we had lunch and I was meeting his family? But a part of me wanted to found out the truth. I opened the message, and as soon as a bunch of pictures popped up, and the other part of me immediately regretted it.

Here is what you had asked for. Please be careful. – Ashley.

Clicking on the first picture, a drawing of people and black dogs appeared on the screen, and next to them, a long text was placed. I sat down on the cold floor and slowly started reading everything that Ashley had sent me.

I tried to process everything that was written on the pages. About beasts, where they came from, but the thing that I wanted to know wasn’t written in it. There wasn’t anything about my mark on the neck. I know that Henry bit me, but what does it mean? Would he actually kill me?

„Elizabeth,” I jumped at someone’s voice. „Are you okay?” It was from Tyler. I stayed quiet for a second before I finally answered. „Yeah. Just give me a second.”

Standing up, I looked myself in the mirror, fixed my hair and placed my phone back to my pocket.

I opened the door and saw Tyler standing in the middle of the hallway with his hands crossed. The dark light of the hallway casting a shadow over his left side of the face.

„We need to talk,” I tried to pass him, but he crossed me before I had even got a chance.

„About what?” I asked innocently.

He grabbed my hand and pushed me to the wall. „Don’t act stupid. I know that you know about us.” His eyes turned red and he placed a hand over my mouth so that I couldn’t scream.

~ - ~

The little sun that was in the morning was long gone, and now it was replaced with grey clouds on the sky that were ready to set free the first snow this winter. The few men that were walking around the garden were not feeling cold at all, maybe because they were the same species as the Nightclaw’s, while me, a small, yet a young human girl was freezing without her coat on.

But that didn’t seem to bother Tyler as he dragged me down the stairs to the maze I first encountered the family a couple of weeks ago. It still looked like the same green garden as the first time I have seen it.

I tried to wiggle out from his strong grip, but every time I tried to free myself, he held me stronger, not caring that he was hurting me.

„Let me go, or I swear that I will scream,” I hit him in the leg, but that was a stupid act because a moment later, he turned around, gripped my neck and started to choke me.

„Come on, scream. I dare you because if you, I will snap your neck in half before you could even mention Henry’s name,” His stare was burning through my eyes and I didn’t have another choice but to surrender to him.

Nodding, he released me and I tried to catch my breath again. He started dragging me again, but this time, he grabbed my hair and walked beside me past the fountain to a small bench at the end of the garden.

„Sit,” He threw me to the bench and as I had hit my stomach on the corner of the bench, I let a small scream out.

„What do you want from me?” I asked him as I tried to sit on the bench. Crossing my arms, I stared at him with the corner of my eyes. He wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at the house where Henry was probably searching for me.

„The truth,” His eyes landed on me and a wave of chills spread down my spine as I stared at those red eyes again.

„I don’t know what you are talking about,” Placing my hair behind my ear, I lifted my head up, giving him the knowledge that I wasn’t afraid of him. I wasn’t going to kneel to any man, especially if it wasn’t human either.

He laughed, hit the sculpture behind him and the sculpture had broke in half, small pieces of it spread all over the floor. „That’s strike one. You have two more lives,” He grabbed my chin, making me look at him. „I know that you were yesterday there. I smelled you, Elizabeth.” Letting me go, he lifted his hand up. „But I don’t know how did you found out.”

A wave of courage went through me as I stood up, made a step to him and looked him directly in the eyes. „You all think that I’m an idiot? I see clues, hints that you left behind. Tell me, are you going to do the same thing to me just like your family did to Jackson Johnson?“I provoked him by taping him on the shoulder. He didn’t take it lightly as he grabbed my hand and before I had another chance to tap him on the shoulder.

“If it’s necessary to protect my family’s secret safe, then yes, I will,” He said through his teeth.

“Your mother was right, your brother did change you,” I said and he released his grip from my hand.

“My brother changed them, not me. I was always like this,” He made a step forward. “It’s a shame that you probably won’t make out alive today,” I whimpered as I felt pain in my right hand. “But unfortunately you are my brother’s lover.” The moment released me, I grabbed my hand and slowly started massaging it.

„Lover, ha?” I laughed at that. „If he truly loved me as I love him, he wouldn’t have lied to me about who he was. Hell, he even scared my best friend, and yet, I still forgave him,” A tear slipped down my face and I tried to wipe it away with my hand.

Tyler opened his lips slightly, a whisper coming out of them. „You love him?”

I nodded. „Of course I do, but I don’t know if he loves me too, or he just wants to kill me like he killed the man a night ago.”

„Why don’t you ask him yourself.” Tyler and I turned around to face an angry Henry with a knife in his hand. His eyes were peach black, and the way he played with the knife in his hands made me took a step back.

„Henry,” Tyler said but Henry lifted his hand up, staring at him. „I will deal with you later.” His eyes turned back to me, his whole body started to shake.

„Are you going to kill me?” I tripped as I took a step back. Henry made a step forward, but I couldn’t help myself not to stare at the knife in his hand.

„Don’t be stupid, Ell. I will never hurt you,” He reached his hand to me, but I couldn’t trust him, especially when Tyler was here and him carrying a knife.

„I don’t know if I can trust you,” I started running before I gave him the chance to grab me and put that knife in my chest.

„Wait!” I heard him yelling at me. Running through the maze, I managed to trip a few times and before I knew it, I got lost in it, not knowing which turn to make to the exit.

I tripped again, but this time, a pair of arms caught me before I fell down.

„Let me go,” I kicked legs in the air, but the man behind the strong arms didn’t let me go.

„Calm down!” It was Henry.

I tried to wiggle out from his strong grip, managing to hit him with my legs a few times. Finally, he released me but I started pushing him as my face was covered with my fallen tears. „Leave me alone, you monster!”

Without thinking, these words came out of my mouth and I couldn’t believe that I had just said it.

Henry stopped in his tracks, his lips set in a thin line as he coked his head on the right side, his eyes scanning my face. Slowly, like a wolf, he walked to me, and I like a dear, I tried to make my final move to get away from him.

„Don’t come near me,” I showed him my hand, telling him to stay where he was, but he didn’t listen, he was still walking towards me.

Turning around, I was about to make my run from him, but God had other plans for me as I tripped over a rock and hit my head on one of the statues.

„Elizabeth,” The last thing I saw was his worried face as I was giving myself into the darkness.