The Blood Diamond, page 22
part #1 of The Hunters Series
I didn’t have a response to that, so I just nodded. I know, I know. I usually had something witty to say, especially in the face of that bastard. Would you believe that I’d lost the will to fight?
Yeah, me either…
I bit my lip as the train came to a stop. My stop. I managed to control my breathing, but I couldn’t help my pulse one bit. Shit, this wasn’t going to turn out good, I already knew that.
Gavin took my wrist again and pulled me to my feet. Roughly, might I add. This time, he didn’t jerk away when the scar on my neck protested with burning clarity.
I shook my head, effectively pushing away the confusing thoughts and feelings that were plaguing my mind. I had to focus on Gavin and keeping my sister safe. That seemed to be my main priority lately.
Of course.
Once we were aboveground, I thought about fighting back again. I really did. Thing is, there were more people around, so I couldn’t exactly make a scene. The sun had set a while ago, and the sky was darkening quickly.
Great. Just great.
It didn’t take too long to walk all the way to the apartment complex. Gavin was silent the entire time, and so was I. He liked it that way, I guess.
The less conversation, the better.
The door to my apartment was open and one of my least favorite vampires stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance with her long, pale arms.
“Hey, Bony Ass!” I greeted in a fake, cheery voice. When she growled in response, I gave her a mocking pout. “Aw, did you miss me?”
Gavin passed me and entered the apartment. I moved forward in alarm—Gavin had been invited in?—but Melissa followed my movements and blocked my path. Damn it.
“If you know what’s good for your sister’s life, I think you should shut up,” Melissa bit out, her fangs coming down. Ooh, very intimidating…as if I’d never seen fangs before. In a way, they amused me somehow. I guess I hadn’t taken her warning as serious as she thought. Well, who would with her attitude? Bony Ass was one for threats, I’ll tell you that much. I hadn’t believed a word she’d ever said.
Like I would start right now…
Melissa’s face suddenly lit up with a devilish grin. “You know your sister’s life is on the line right now, don’t you, hunter?”
“Gavin mentioned it, I think,” I muttered with a frown. Great. Was he telling the truth?
“And you didn’t believe him?” she asked me.
I only shrugged in response. The vamp knew the answer to that already. “I don’t believe a word that damn vampire says,” I growled. “If I did, it’d be the death of me.”
Okay, wrong choice of words. Seriously.
“What about the death of your sister, Elizabeth?” Gavin called from behind Melissa. I hadn’t seen him move up behind her; I’d been too focused on Bony Ass.
I met his gaze and…stopped thinking. I think I almost stopped breathing.
Gavin stood before the couch, but the figure next to him made my anxiety skyrocket. Liz sat calmly against the living room furniture beside the vampire, her eyes glazed over. Upon closer inspection, I deduced that Gavin had compelled my sister. It didn’t stop there, unfortunately.
Bruises dotted Liz’s arms, and the sleeve of her shirt was splattered with blood. No…
I practically pushed myself at Melissa to get her to move, but she was as grounded as a boulder. Since I couldn’t get to him, I resorted to yelling at Gavin instead. “Let her go, Gavin! Damn it, she has nothing to do—”
“Oh, I think she has everything to do with this,” Gavin purred, his red eyes full of delight.
I bit my lip. “How did you get in?”
“Isn’t the answer obvious? Your dear sister willingly invited me in the other day,” he answered with a fanged smile. “It wasn’t too hard. She must’ve mistook me for my twin, of course, but it actually worked in my favor.”
“What do you want?” I snapped impatiently, hands curling into fists.
Gavin had my sister. Damn it, Gavin had my sister! Besides the blood, Liz seemed too dazed to be in pain at the moment. But if the vampire hurt her any more…
“Just some questions answered, that’s all,” he replied simply, then took a seat beside Liz, his pale hand cupping her unresponsive face. I swallowed hard.
“And the truth, of course,” Gavin went on. I glared at him, willing him to just continue. He did. “Where’s my brother, Antoinette?” Okay, that was not the question I’d expected from him…
“Why?”
“It’s just a harmless question, Ms. Drake. Answer it or things will have to get bloody.” To prove his disgusting point, he practically dragged Liz closer, his mouth open to unveil his incisors. Melissa still prevented me from getting to Liz, so all I could do was mentally encourage her to run. It wouldn’t work, I know, but I was desperate.
Could you blame me?
“Gavin,” Melissa warned suddenly, her fangs still down.
“Yes, Melissa?”
“Our little hunter is getting antsy.” She gave me a grin of pure hate. I gave her a version of my own.
“You should learn patience, Antoinette,” Gavin scolded lightly, tapping his chin in thought. “This might last a while,” the vampire continued. “After all, we’re going to play a game.”
Now, that didn’t sound good at all. I fell silent as Gavin tilted Liz’s head to the side for a clear view of her wounded neck. No…he’d fed on her? My eyes couldn’t help but widen at the sight. The vampire never moved in to bite down, but my body again beat against the block in the door.
“Gavin! You can’t—” I stopped when he wrapped his hand around Liz’s bruised throat, a clear warning to shut my mouth.
“Careful what you say, Antoinette. It didn’t take me long to discover what makes you tick. What you fear. What you love so dearly.” He smiled then, and slowly moved the hair from Liz’s pallid face. She looked so young just then; so fragile. Liz’s eyes were closed now, but she made no move to escape.
Gavin would hurt her if I made the wrong move. If I said the wrong thing.
Damn it.
“Now, for that little game.”
I’d clearly forgotten that Gavin had a thing for games. Especially with vampire hunters. Humans in general.
The vampire sighed and nodded his head at Melissa slightly. Bony Ass grabbed my arm suddenly and pulled me over the threshold. I was roughly pushed in front of Gavin, Melissa’s vampire-tight grip on my arm unshakable. I didn’t fight her…mostly because of Liz. I could see that she was weakly trying to gain control over her body, but she was struggling. Gavin had done something to her…
“Now, back to my first question. Where’s my brother, Antoinette?” he asked, his voice level and his eyes solely on me, even though his hands were on Liz’s shoulders. The bastard had the nerve to touch her in my presence!
“I don’t kn—”
“Now, don’t lie to me,” Gavin growled, interrupting me. His eyes flashed dangerously, and he grabbed Liz roughly by the throat. “That won’t help your sister in the least. You know where he is right now. Where?”
“Why do you care?” I shot back, imitating his tone.
Gavin didn’t appreciate my outburst, apparently. He released my sister just as Bony Ass threw me to the ground. I hit the floor with a bang. The vamp slowly stood up until he was easily towering over me. My veins were pumping with adrenaline, and I was in fight-or-flight mode at the moment. Trouble was, if I ran, Liz would probably die.
No, not probably.
Definitely.
“Why would you care where your brother is right now? You hate him!” I pointed out, my anger building. “I don’t understand you!”
“Well, join the club,” Melissa muttered from behind me.
Gavin scowled at her, and then looked at me again. He got to his knees so that we were practically eye-to-eye. “Listen to me now, chasseur, so I don’t have to repeat myself in the future,” he hissed, and leaned in closer so that his lips brushed my ear. “I’m not a young vampire. Just because you’ve faced ancient ones before doesn’t mean you know anything. You may have gotten lucky with Andrew, yes, but that means nothing in comparison.” He smiled with satisfaction. “You’re still just a human with a stake. No superpowers, no—”
“I have faith,” I blurted, my face suddenly smug. “I have faith, and that’s something you vampires will never have. I’m not helpless, Gavin.”
“True, but your sister surely is,” Gavin reasoned, calmly looking into my eyes. He wasn’t trying to compel me so it was safe…for now. “You hunt vampires not only to help a hopeless cause but you also try to protect your sister. It’s pathetic. You humans value life far too much.”
“What’s with the sudden lecture?” Melissa grumbled.
Gavin sighed. “Shut up, Melissa. This doesn’t concern you.”
“You came here to torture this hunter, or that’s what you told me, at least,” she continued. “Why play a game she refuses to play? Even with her sister’s impending death on the line. It’s a waste of time, really.”
“I said shut up!” Gavin warned, his voice dangerously low. It made me shiver.
“Blackmail just isn’t your thing, is it, Gavin?”
He looked about ready to rip her throat out, and he could’ve. Instead, he turned his attention to me. “As I was saying…”
“Can we please just get on with the questions?” I interjected. He wasn’t as bothered by my interruption as he’d been with Bony Ass. Huh. Gavin nodded. “Fine, but I want the truth this time. No lies, or I drain your sister here and now.”
“Okay,” I murmured in agreement. “Henri was arrested.”
“By whom?”
“The Agency,” I said with some confidence.
That wasn’t the answer Gavin wanted. He sighed and reached to grab my chin to force my face upward. “Who specifically arrested him, Antoinette?” His grip tightened a bit, and I let out a gasp. “I did,” I bit out. “I arrested Henri.”
Gavin released my chin quickly and got to his feet in the blink of an eye. Damn vampire speed. Gavin’s small look of surprise morphed into a smirk as he looked down at me.
I got to my knees, and started to get up when Bony Ass kicked me in the back with a leather-footed boot. I grunted in pain and fell forward. Luckily, I caught myself before my face made painful contact with the carpeted floor. I bit back a sarcastic retort, and glared at the vampire in front of me. “Happy now? You got your answer.”
Gavin snickered softly. “Yes, I did.”
“Our master won’t be happy that Henri got caught, Gavin,” Melissa pointed out. She was likely referring to that Robert guy; the one Henri never seemed to want to discuss with me for some reason. Hmm…
“You don’t think I know that?” Gavin shot back, obviously trying to contain his frustration. It wasn’t working so far…
“Now that you have your answers, are you going to leave?” I couldn’t help but ask. I was exhausted, and the drama in my life was reaching its limit. Actually, it reached its limit a long time ago, maybe this morning…
Gavin laughed half-heartedly, and got to his feet. “That was just the first of many questions, Antoinette,” he breathed, his red eyes boring into me. I shrunk back from his gaze.
“But I guess we can finish this discussion sometime tomorrow evening.” He looked at Melissa and nodded. She went toward the front door, opened it, and walked through, disappearing from sight. Now it was just Gavin and me.
“Wait-Hold on. I—”
Gavin ignored me completely, and turned from me, saying. “How does tomorrow just after sunset sound? At The Blood Diamond Nightclub?”
I bit my lip. This had trouble written all over it.
I had no choice in the matter.
I didn’t say anything; I only nodded. Gavin mimicked me, a smirk of sickening joy on his face. “It’s a date, then. See you tomorrow, petit chasseur.” I shivered at the nickname as it graced his lips. Gavin left quickly after that.
I let out a heavy sigh. Finally, the bloodsuckers were gone. I tentatively touched Liz’s forehead, and she blinked weakly at me. That was a sign. A good one, at that. The compulsion had worn off somewhat.
“Liz?” I called softly, mentally hoping she heard me.
“Toni?” she echoed in question.
I gave her a small smile. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. What just happened? Who—” When she met my eyes, I knew that Gavin had compelled her to forget the whole thing.
Of course.
“I’ll explain later,” I hastily replied, then took one of her hands in my own. “Right now, I need to know. Are you hurt?”
She debated my question for a while, and I could see her struggling to focus and remember. Liz brushed the hair from her eyes. “My throat hurts,” she ended up saying, clutching the side of her neck for emphasis. “And my hand, too.” Her brows lowered. “What happened to me?”
I didn’t answer. I moved the tangled hair from her face and inspected the left side of her neck. I didn’t enjoy the sight.
Yep, there they were.
Gavin had bitten her.
And in two places, too, my mind surveyed when I next glanced over her bleeding hand.
Damn it. I hated that vampire.
I looked into Liz’s bleary eyes, and tried to smile. “It’s going to be okay.” I helped her to her unsteady feet, and we made our way out of the apartment. As we walked down the stairs, Liz spoke up again. “Hey, are we going to the hospital?” She tried to move back, but I held firm. “Toni, really. I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that bad.”
“No,” I replied with a growing frown. “We aren’t going to the hospital. It’s a place that can actually help you.”
We were going to the Agency.
***
It was a little after eight in the evening when we arrived at the underground base. Liz hadn’t spoken to me since we left the apartment. I naturally took it as a bad sign, but I still kept my distance. I knew what was going on in my sister’s head, even though she didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. Her foremost instinct was probably confusion. Liz’s memory had been partially erased, after all, which meant that whatever Gavin had done to her before I got to the apartment, well…I didn’t want to find out.
The offices were quiet and dark, but I knew at least one person would be here: the guard.
I wasn’t expecting Ethan Frazer.
I found my friend standing beside the guard, his eyes trained on a cell. Henri’s cell, I assumed as I entered the room. When Ethan saw me with my sister, his eyes widened. “Toni? What are you—”
“No time to explain,” I interrupted him hastily. “My sister needs help. She’s been bitten.”
“By whom?” the guard asked. I contemplated telling them about Gavin Sinclair. Instead of looking at the guard on duty, I stared right into Ethan’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter. Help her. Please.”
Ethan nodded without hesitation, and looked at the young guard. “Go call Hannah. She has a first-aid kit we can use.”
With a quick nod, the guard left the room. Ethan and I stared at each other for a heartbeat before he spoke again. “So what happened?”
“I don’t want to—”
“Toni,” Ethan warned, taking my shoulder gently. “I can’t help her if you don’t tell me what happened to your sister…was she attacked?”
I chuckled bitterly. “No shit. Her imaginary boyfriend just gave her a nasty hickey, that’s all.” It wasn’t exactly the time for humor, especially not now.
Ethan frowned and shook his black head of hair until some of it covered his face. “This is serious. What happened?”
I sighed heavily, giving up. “Fine, fine, all right.” I hugged Liz to me, who was silent. Too silent. I patted her gently. “Liz, you’re going to be okay.”
“Toni…” She croaked in response, while blinking her eyes repeatedly. “I-what…what hap—” She was still trying to remember. I smiled at her perseverance.
“She was compelled, wasn’t she?” Ethan asked softly, watching the scene before him play out.
I refused to meet his eyes, but I heard the sympathy loud and clear. My silence was the perfect confirmation, and Ethan took Liz from my arms, propping her up against him. I protested, but he wasn’t about to hear it. “Go home, Toni. I’ll take care of—”
“No,” I snapped, my voice suddenly hoarse. “I’m not leaving her. She needs to know.”
“Know what?”
“The truth.”
Ethan near snorted and shook his head. “You look like you’re about to drop dead, Drake. You’re exhausted.”
Yeah, no shit. I bit my lip and glanced over at Henri’s cell, which was eerily quiet. “How’s our convict?” I asked, deciding to change the subject.
Ethan only shrugged. “Quiet, as you can hear. Not a peep since you came the first time around.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, by the way, the cameras went offline for a bit, and we’re not sure how or why. Also, the switch inside is stuck.” I already knew this, nodding absently.
I exhaled sharply, remembering what had happened the last time I’d seen Henri. Ethan would no doubt freak if he knew that Henri had kissed me. What made it so much worse was that I hadn’t fought back. I’d let the vampire take advantage of the situation and kiss me. Free will had come into play, damn it!
“Speaking of Henri,” I started, breaking the suffocating silence. “I need to see him.”
“Toni—”
“I can handle it, Frazer,” I reassured my best friend, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. “You’ll be right outside the cell, and I know he won’t try anything. Trust me.”
“Really? You know he won’t try anything?”
I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug. “One way to find out.”
“You seriously have a death wish,” Ethan admitted with a smirk, but I could still clearly see the fear in his eyes. The fear was for me and me alone.
I started toward the cell, and before I reached it, I looked back at Ethan. My sister was propped up against him, and her eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping. Maybe she was. I took a deep breath and unhooked the latch that sealed the door shut. A thought hit me a little too late: why did I need to see Henri? It was a great question but I had no answer suddenly. Oh…
