Nico and I fought all the way back to the apartment. I struggled and writhed in his arms trying desperately to get back to Duke who was getting one hell of a beating by Caspar. I could hear dull thumping sounds echoing up the stairs along with the occasional faint groan of a man in pain.
Half way up the stairs Nico had grown impatient and had flipped me over his shoulder. I screamed and protested but Nico ignored me. He jogged up the stairs and threw me unceremoniously through the apartment doorway and onto the cold marble floor where I landed with a heavy smack.
At this point my blood was boiling. I looked up at Nico with a furious stare and yelled, “Caspar is going to kill him!”
Nico nonchalantly walked through the door and shut it behind him with a kick of his foot. The door slammed sending an unpleasant echo through the apartment foyer. Nico then leaned against the door, making a subtle point of blockading the only exit out of the apartment and said, “Why should I care?”
“Why?” I repeated in astonishment, “Because Caspar will kill Duke!”
“Good. He deserves it for trying to kidnap the Princess.” Nico replied unrepentantly.
But he wasn’t trying to kidnap me!
This is what I wanted to scream. This is what I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs- but I couldn’t. Henrietta had warned me never to share my secret and when Duke had found out he had lied to his Prince’s face to protect me. I wanted to tell everyone the truth but I had no idea what kind of repercussions the truth would bring. Duke had sacrificed so much to keep me safe I knew in my heart that I had to stay silent. I could tell no one about the ghosts I was seeing.
As I thought Nico watched me. He studied my expression with suspicion and I could tell he was wondering what I was thinking.
“Is there something you want to tell me Hazel?” He asked.
Mechanically I shook my head fighting the sickness rising up inside me. Nico moved away from the door and took several steps towards me and then crouched down. Lowering his voice he said, “You know I could stop this. I could go downstairs and stop Caspar before he gets really riled up, before he takes Duke head and bashes his brains out all over the concrete floor… I could stop this if you gave me a good enough reason.”
My eyes were burning and I could feel a sob building somewhere deep in my lungs. I inhaled sharply and forced myself to swallow that pain. Crying was not going to help me or Duke. If I was going to help anyone I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and start thinking smarter.
I looked up at Nico and replied, “One bad deed is not cancelled out by another bad deed. Duke may have done wrong but he does not deserve to be beaten- no one does.”
Nico face broke into a humourless smile, “That’s a nice sentiment but we both know that was not the answer I was looking for.” He said standing up.
“No-wait!” I called after Nico.
Nico turned sharply to face me and snapped, “I can only help you Hazel if you tell me the truth- no more lies, no more bull shit.”
“I am not lying.” I said quietly.
Nico rolled his eyes and said, “Even you don’t believe that.”
I watched from the floor as Nico walked away. The feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming. I drew my knees up into my chest. I had no idea what I was going to do. All of this was far bigger then I was- I was just a college student who knew nothing about vampires or ghosts… I didn’t know anything.
The handle of the front door rattled and turned. I looked up to see the door open and Caspar step through. His hair was disheveled and the clean ironed shirt he had put on this morning was crumpled and smattered with dark red stains which I knew was Duke blood. My hand lifted to my mouth and I whispered, “Is he dead?”
Caspar’s bowed head raised up to see me on the floor. His eyes were dark, cold and unfamiliar as if they belonged to a complete stranger. My heart began to pound and a terrible nausea in my stomach started to claw at my insides. Caspar stared vacantly at me like he had heard what I had said but did not recognize who I was.
Choking back tears I repeated my question, “Caspar … did you kill Duke?”
My voice had quivered uncontrollably when I asked him that question. The apartment was completely silent but in my head was all kinds of noises and images roaring through my head. Had I killed a man? Was Duke lying on the cold concrete floor downstairs with his brains bashed out?
Suddenly the sickness in my stomach worsened and I leaned forward onto my hands as I started to heave. A small amount of dark red liquid escaped me and pooled onto the marble floor. I heard a noise and then felt a warm hand stroking my back.
“No, I didn’t kill him.” I heard Caspar say.
I would have looked at him but my stomach cramped again and forcing me to wretch. Caspar swept my hair behind my back and continued to gently rub my back.
“I wanted to kill him when I saw him there with his hands all over you.” He explained.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and replied, “You cannot murder every man who touches me.”
Caspar shook his head, “That’s not why I wanted to kill him. Hazel you were sat in the back of the car wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet. Duke was all over you but you looked terrified- I thought that Duke was forcing himself on you, I thought he was trying to rape you.”
As he spoke that last sentence Caspar dragged his fingers through his messed up hair trying to hide the trembling in his hands. I stopped still stunned by his confession. Caspar had over reacted because he thought Duke was trying to violate me.
Caspar exhaled, “Did he try to hurt you because I swear if he did then I will go back downstairs and finish him off.”
I shook my head, “No, he only tried to kiss me and that was it.”
Caspar breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on to the floor next to me. His whole body was shaking like he was coming out of shock. Without thinking I reached up and gently traced the edge of his jaw line with my fingertips. I wanted to comfort him…no, I needed to comfort him. There was something unseen between us that compelled me to comfort him even though I knew that our whole relationship was messed up. Caspar leaned into my hand, cherishing this small gesture of physical contact.
Half smiling I said, “I would kiss you if I hadn’t of puked.”
Caspar laughed and with that the tension in the room began to ease. I rested head against Caspar’s shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me and then pressed a kiss to the top of my head. Sighing Caspar said, “I swear to you Hazel that I will never leave you alone again with anyone like Duke. From now on I will have Nico follow you everywhere. I will not risk losing you again.”
At that moment I felt that Caspar and I were being watched. I looked up and across the far side of the hallway I could see Nico. He was standing in the doorway leaning against the frame watching us. A cold shiver ran down my spine as Nico regarded me with an air of suspicion. I swallowed hard. I may have fooled Caspar but Nico was not buying any of it. He knew I was lying and I could tell by his determination that nothing was going to stop him from finding out the truth about me.