Read Online The Asylum by L. J. Smith - Free Book Online Page B

and buried. Which one of us would have to die for her spell to finally be broken?
    Lately, I’ve been remembering things I thought were lost long ago. When I was fifteen or sixteen, I started dreaming of a girl. The dream always took place in a verdant field that looked like the far corner of Veritas, where the rolling green hills met the forest. She always seemed a few paces beyond my reach, separated from me by a dark, murky cloud. The girl’s face was always hazy, but I could see her straight, long, brown hair and her olive skin. Even unable to see her clearly, I knew she was beautiful.
    When I met Katherine, I thought I’d finally found her, the girl I’d been dreaming of. The one who filled me with unrelenting desire and longing. But as I slowly came to discover the monster Katherine truly was, I knew in my heart she wasn’t the one.
    I still held out hope. Maybe, right now, I was being tested. Maybe when I finally found her, I would be worthy of her love, that girl of my dreams.
    I didn’t speak to Damon during our walk back to the tunnel, and he didn’t speak to me. Tension lay thick between us, and I knew we were both thinking of Katherine. There was nothing to distract us from our memories. The streets were deserted; most people were staying inside after dark, afraid of meeting the Ripper. The clock had struck midnight along our walk. I used to love this time of night. It was a time to hunt, a time to let my thoughts unpack themselves, a time to feel the world slowing down. Now, I felt like we were the ones being hunted. After all, Samuel would retaliate—it was inevitable. But when?
    Finally, we reached the embankment.
    â€œHome sweet home,” Damon wisecracked as he stepped onto the ladder and began the climb down into the tunnel.
    My mood turned as soon as I reached the bottom and saw firelight dancing on the opposite wall. A petticoat was strung across the tunnel, creating a makeshift wall, and a rusty, dented teakettle was balanced precariously over the fire.
    â€œWelcome home!” Cora said, spreading her arms wide. Kohl rimmed her eyes and she’d pulled her red hair into a high bun on top of her head. She wore one of the dresses I’d brought, which made the most of her small frame.
    For the first time that evening, I felt like things might actually be all right. Cora’s hard work reminded me of a fairy tale my mother used to read to us, about Snow White, a beautiful princess forced into hiding amid dwarves. This version was much more sinister, but Cora played her part admirably: the kind woman trying to tame our savage tendencies.
    â€œDid you see Violet?” Cora asked urgently. “I asked around at the Ten Bells but Alfred hadn’t seen her. And then I wanted to come back in case you had found her. I wanted to be here to greet her,” she said, shrugging sadly.
    Damon nodded. “She’s safe,” he said shortly.
    â€œOh, good!” Cora said, her hands flying to her face in relief. She turned her eyes up as if in prayer. “Thank you. And is she…”
    â€œWe didn’t speak to her,” I said. “We weren’t able to get inside Samuel’s house.”
    â€œWhat happened?” Cora asked.
    I settled onto the ground and began telling her what we’d found at Samuel’s. Occasionally, Damon would chime in with his own observations. Cora nodded, but I could tell all of it—revenge, staking, a beautiful, centuries-old vampire controlling myself and Damon and inspiring Samuel’s hatred of us—was beyond her comprehension. It was beyond anyone’s rational comprehension.
    â€œUltimately, we’ve gotten almost nowhere,” I said, discouraged.
    â€œNot exactly,” Cora said, hopefully. She pulled a paper from her dress pocket and began to unfold it. “I found this in Whitechapel. It’s an advertisement for a benefit for the Magdalene Asylum in just a few days. And look