A Vampire's Reckoning, page 21
part #2 of Stone Masters Vampire Series
Ingrid sat on the stool positioned at the workbench, watching as Andrew worked around her. He extracted the cells from the small glass tube and with detailed precision placed them upon the slide. Ingrid stared up at the screen watching the perfectly formed oscillating cells. They quivered on the glass slide. Andrew opened the door and light flooded in.
Ingrid watched the screen carefully. The cells, which had first appeared so vibrant, now withered. One by one, their matter became almost invisible under the microscopic lens.
Ingrid was astonished. “What the . . . ?”
“Something out there is an anomaly. We are wary of professional ridicule as much as the next person, but off the record,” Andrew pointed to the specimen, “if you told me those blood cells came from a vampire, I would believe you.”
* * * *
Ingrid’s head spun. She left the lab and headed back over to the library. She gathered all the books they had on cults, vampires, Stonehenge, and Avebury, receiving strange looks from the librarian. She had to smile at the librarian’s remarks about her being a closet Goth.
Ingrid hoped this reading material would provide her with insight into how an individual believing himself to be a vampire would behave. She was desperate. After a phone call, Sgt. Blake picked her up from outside the library, glancing wearily at her collection of books but saying nothing. They headed south.
The journey to Cornwall was uneventful. The police car’s blue light flashed, warning other drivers to move out of the way, allowing them to get there quickly. Ingrid slept a little. She had closed her eyes, sunglasses on in the front passenger seat, navigating only when nudged. The journey was somber, so different from when she had ridden this road only a few days before. She was determined to return to Salisbury with Alex, and it troubled her he would be restrained in handcuffs.
Chapter 33
Jadeon
CONSIDERING WAYS IN WHICH to kill myself, I tried to imagine which would be least painful. Without Alex, life would be unbearable. A familiar presence distracted me from my suicidal thoughts.
Ingrid was here.
Upon arrival at the castle she had found the tide still out and guided Sergeant Blake along the path on the causeway. She instructed him to search around the castle walls giving her the opportunity to enter the castle alone.
Ingrid had easily picked the antique lock, a skill she had learned at the academy. She began her search with the bedrooms, looking for any sign we were home. Making her way up the sweeping staircase, she remembered how she had been in awe during her first visit. Even now she gazed in wonder at the many paintings and perfectly preserved antiquities. Ingrid entered my bedroom, looking for any evidence to suggest I had recently been here.
Hold me.
Everything appeared to be in its place. The bed had not been slept in since she rested there. Leaving my room, she walked toward my father’s old bedroom where she had stayed. Ingrid noticed the light within the castle was dimming with the setting sun. Making her way down the stairway to the dungeons, she had mixed memories from when she last explored this part of the castle.
Flickering candle flames beckoned her. Ingrid walked away from the cells, following another smaller passageway toward the shadowy light. Squinting, she attempted to see. Aware of an eerie presence, she realized the danger she was placing herself in.
She kept close to the wall, trying to blend in at the end of the arcane corridor. Ingrid continued, impatient to find what was on the other side of the door. As her fingers touched the handle . . .
I pulled open the door.
She screamed and leapt back.
“Bloody hell! You shouldn’t creep up on people like that,” she said.
“Excuse me?” I snapped. “This is my home. I’ll creep around in it all I want.”
She followed me into the darkened room, maintaining a little distance.
I hunched in the shadows.
Ingrid’s eyes adjusted. “Why are you hiding in here?”
Silence.
“Jadeon?” she said.
“Get out, please.”
“We need to discuss—”
“I can’t talk.”
“What happened?”
I glared at her. “I warned you to let him go.”
“Jadeon?”
“Alex.” His name caught in my throat.
“Where is he?” she said.
“What?”
“Alex?”
I studied her. “What happened last night?”
“I know your lawyers expedited his release.”
“What lawyers?”
“Are you telling me those lawyers weren’t sent by . . . ?”
I sprang to my feet. “Who are you talking about?”
“Alex was released from the holding cell about an hour after you left. Three men, all lawyers, took him out of the police station. I thought you knew about it.”
“Did Alex leave before dawn?”
“Why, yes.”
“Orpheus!” I kissed her and then vanished.
Chapter 34
Orpheus
I POSITIONED ALEX’S coffin in the corner of the lavishly decorated room within Belshazzar’s.
He climbed out disoriented and stumbled around, looking for clues that would reveal his whereabouts. Alex heard the faint beat of music. He detected other vampires looming and caught the subtle aroma of blood. Unsurprised to find the door locked, he searched for another exit but found none. He heard a key turn in the lock.
I entered.
Alex glared at me. “Your ruse almost got me killed.”
“Now why would I trap you then free you? What sense is there in that?” I gestured sincerely.
“Where is Jadeon?”
“With Ingrid.” I reached for the blood-filled decanter and poured us both a drink. I handed one of them to Alex.
He was hungry.
Alex sniffed the glass. Tentatively, he sipped. His eyes fixed on me. “How long do you intend to keep me here?”
“Is that the thanks I get?”
“Yes.”
“And to think there used to be a time when you couldn’t wait to see me.”
“Two hundred years ago,” Alex snapped.
“I brought you here so that you will not be alone.”
“I’m not.”
“He has transformed Ingrid. She is now one of us.”
“You lie.”
“I will not allow you to lock yourself up in that dark place, alone again while he wanders the world.”
“I do not believe—”
“Alex, I admit I have at times been a little harsh but you have always known my feelings for you. I would never hurt you. I adore you. You are everything in this world that is good and right. Perfection itself. There is a change in your circumstances and I wish to extend to you my friendship, a home here with me.”
“Why should I want to be with you? You have killed my father, tormented—”
“It’s time you knew the truth. Your brother does not always tell you everything. He keeps you in the dark on many things. Remember how as young men he failed to tell you how he had become your father’s apprentice and how he was chosen over you? He came to you a vampire and left you alone and vulnerable in order to find Catherine. He still considered himself to be a Stone Master. He visits Stonehenge and drinks from the innocent, reveling in the pleasure of slaughtering mortals. He drinks from the pure and perfect—from angels—and you drink from the damned. Do you see a pattern emerging here? Do you want proof?”
“Jadeon has never drunk from the innocent,” Alex said, attempting to interpret my mind’s messages. “Jadeon will explain.”
“While your brother travels the world, explores the pleasures and revels within them, I offer you the life you’ve always wanted. Let me take away your loneliness and fill you up with passion. We are powerful allies.”
Alex gazed at me. His world was falling apart. The fear of being alone terrified him.
“He never once returned to the castle in two hundred years. Does that not strike you as strange?”
“He was searching for—”
“Please, don’t let that old lie ruin another two hundred years of your life.”
“What?”
“Must I be the one to tell you?” I said.
“Tell me what?”
“Catherine told Jadeon that she . . .”
“He spoke with her? No, these are more lies and—”
“Dear God, he never told you?” I said.
“Told me what?”
“That he was so saddened she rejected him he slept for one hundred of those years. All the time you were waiting for him, he slept comfortably in an ancient tomb. Oblivious to you or your needs.”
“No, he never . . .”
“If I had not sent my men, you would be ash.”
“I can’t think straight.”
“And I don’t expect you to. I want you to rest here. You are free to go anytime you want. See, the door is unlocked.”
“Daumia, I . . .”
“It’s a cruel twist that you get arrested for the murders your brother committed.”
“I will never trust you.”
“Consider this. In my world, the pleasures will overwhelm you. Every day you will live in a vampiric bliss and you will finally be rewarded for everything you are. No longer ridiculed by your brother, you will stand proudly alongside me.”
Alex closed his eyes.
“Jadeon will be fine. He will live as he plans to, making a new life with Ingrid while you make a new one with me.”
Alex stared off.
“Now come, I have a gift,” I said. “Let me show it to you.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Catherine wishes to speak with you,” I offered.
“Where are we going?”
“Down,” I said and guided him out of the room along a whitewashed corridor and toward the open elevator. I stepped into it and waited.
He hesitated. I pulled him in.
Alex leaned against the elevator wall nervously rubbing his hands together.
I placed my hands over his to calm him. “Yes, I can hear your every thought,” I said. “So be careful what you wish for, as I may just go ahead and give it to you.”
“Haven’t you become bored of me yet, Daumia?” he said.
“No, and I never will.”
The lift stopped and we strolled down another dimly lit corridor. We passed room after room, stopping finally at one of the many identical doors. We entered. Alex cringed at the young female sitting in the corner. The well-dressed woman appeared calm.
“No,” Alex said.
“No, she’s not for that,” I whispered. “I thought you might be thirsty. I feel your need and I’m concerned.”
Alex lowered his voice, self-conscious. “I don’t feed like this. I never drink from . . . Daumia, why is she so calm?”
The woman responded to my gesture and drew toward Alex, gazing at him, smiling. In a seductive gesture she pulled her hair back, revealing her neck, offering. He stared longingly at her perfect skin, her golden locks framing her carotid. He was captivated, the blood thirst thinking for him.
“Get out,” he warned her.
“He’s just shy,” I said.
Alex covered his face.
“I’m tempted to take her for myself.” I gestured to the chair and she sat down.
“Ah, succumb to it. Trust me. She is for you. Why would I offer you something dark? I think more of you than that. This way is so much more natural. It is more pleasurable. Do as your brother does. Her dreams and fantasies will become yours. Savoring her blood will be more than you ever imagined. Now drink slowly. She is fragile. See how she gives herself willingly.”
“She has no idea,” Alex said.
“Well, if I told her, she wouldn’t stay in the room.”
“I can’t.”
“She will never grow old, never suffer disappointment or pain. What a gift you give to her. A human form of immortality. Now do it.”
“Where is Catherine?” Alex said.
“She wants you strong first.”
“Catherine would never want me to . . .”
“She’s changed, as have you. It’s time to evolve, Alex.” I patted his arm.
He gazed at the girl with hungry eyes.
“Gently,” I said.
I brought my hand up to Alex’s eyes and held it there.
Alex’s senses filled with her scent. The moment was perfect. All three of us stood as if in a theatrical performance, waiting for the other. The young female glanced at me questioningly. I smiled at her placing a finger over my mouth, instructing her to be quiet and admiring the vulnerable mortal who would soon be bled dry. Another life extinguished in a moment.
The blood thirst drove Alex on, his instincts lost to logic. My hand rested on his arm and he opened his eyes. I pressed my body against his, savoring the mood, fascinated by Alex who was mesmerized. He leaned against me, his breathing fast.
Alex oozed sensuality, but the fact that he was oblivious to this was part of his charm. I sighed.
A knock at the door broke the spell. Alex turned, facing the wall, crouching in the corner. Head in hands, he sobbed.
“Yes?” I snapped to the ill-timed intrusion.
The door opened and Marcus appeared. “Sorry to disturb you, sir.”
“What is it?” I said.
“May I have a word?”
“What?”
Marcus scowled. “He’s upstairs.”
“Jadeon is here?” Alex stood. “I must see him.”
“Soon, Alex, soon,” I said. “First though, you must eat.” I shooed Marcus away.
Alex shook his head.
“Get out,” I ordered the girl.
I turned to Alex. “I will not tolerate your—” I calmed myself. “Let me teach you how to appreciate this life I gave you.”
Alex followed me back to the elevator. The doors closed and the cart jolted. We descended into the depths of Belshazzar’s. Alex concentrated, attempting to read my mind.
“By the end of this night, you will never defy me again. If I am to teach you, then you must be willing to learn. You must trust me. I know what is best for you.”
We stood before the dark wooden door finely engraved with Nepalese carvings. I opened the door, pushing Alex into the room. He made out three individuals dressed in black attire.
Alex realized the two women and one man had been waiting for him. He detected immediately they were vampires, and though attractive, their outfits provided them with a sinister appearance. He assessed the mood, taking in the décor. A few candles provided some meager light. The only furniture within the room was a bench. Alex noticed the metal shackles secured upon the walls.
Alex stood his ground.
Swiftly they shoved him into the corner. I offered him no reassurance.
I addressed my leather-donned workers. “See to it by the time he leaves this room he is broken in.”
Alex made a break for the door. They overpowered him and dragged him back.
“Inform me when it is done,” I said. “Alex, the next time I command you to drink—or, for that matter, do anything—you will do it.”
I withdrew.
Chapter 35
Jadeon
I WAS READY TO kill Orpheus.
Marching through Belshazzar’s I headed straight for the lift. I was going to get Catherine and Alex out. Scanning the club’s many guests, I ignored their stares.
Marcus approached me. “He’s expecting you.”
“Is he now?” I asked.
Marcus pushed the elevator button and we stepped inside. We headed into the heart of Belshazzar’s.
“We better be going toward Alex,” I said.
“Sure.”
The lift jerked to a stop and the doors opened. I followed Marcus down the dark corridor, studying his every move and memorizing every twist and turn that we took. Stopping abruptly, my chaperone opened a door to our right and quickly entered. The door was left open in wait for me to follow. Peering into the empty room, cautious and ready for trouble, Marcus moved swiftly toward the far wall, waiting at yet another doorway.
A girl’s sobs echoed from within the next room.
I scanned her thoughts to see if it were Catherine. Marcus’s bearing was intent as he gestured for me to follow. Despite my better judgment warning me otherwise, I stepped forward into the center of the room, cautioned by his dark eyes.
The trapdoor flew open beneath me.
I hurtled through it, grappling to slow my momentum. My shoulder banged against one of the shaft walls and bounced me against the sides, thwarting my ability to rise. Plummeting and battling with gravity, my head struck the hard stone. With a loud thud I hit the ground.
Gradually, afraid of what I might feel, I ran my hands down my torso and back up to my head, reassured to still be in once piece, though bruised and in pain. I scrambled to my feet, looking down at my bloody hands and again checking myself. My blood clotted and my wounds healed.
I took in my surroundings. The ground was dry, but this was part of the sewage system to judge by the reeking odor. Three corridors led off in different directions.
A noise startled me.
They descended upon me without a moment’s pause, a dozen vampires hungry for blood. They pinned me down, shoving ferociously. The pain was unbearable.
Catherine!
Their fangs sank into my flesh.
I had to survive this, had to get to Alex and Catherine.
Their moans of pleasure resounded. Dizziness came in waves, the blood loss draining my strength until consciousness lost its hold.
Chapter 36
Orpheus
MANY HOURS HAD PASSED, and Alex wondered if the melding of intense pleasure and pain would ever cease. His hands, tied tightly behind his back, ached with the strain of their bindings. He was strung up helplessly and begged to be freed.
They ignored him.
He now regretted he had not drunk from the girl as I had asked him to. His captors appeared to take pleasure in their work, disregarding his sobs. They judged both his reaction to the pleasure and his tolerance to the pain.
Pushing him over the edge, they held him there, masterfully bringing him back again to that familiar dark place. Alex sensed something within his soul dissolving. He wondered if he would ever feel the same again. His torturers probed his every want and fear and responded accordingly.
