Harsh Light of Day

by Jaye A. Jones

CHAPTER 23

  The German giant was so agile and effective with each movement, he still had the advantage even in a fight against two.

  Declan was stronger than Ansell, being much older, but size made a difference in a fight such as this. If Ansell made contact, it was a direct hit in precisely the right spot to convey optimum damage.

  Lennox, being closer to Ansell’s size, still was not faring much better.

  The giant’s fist collided with Lennox, and his neck almost seemed to detach from his shoulders. Declan watched from the ground, straining to see through the blood in his eyes.

  There would be no beating the giant.

  But Declan would not give up. Until he was ripped apart, Declan would keep up the fight. Every minute bought Lena time.

  The car was out of sight minutes ago. Of course, it pleased Declan to see it gone. It meant Lena was safe, for the time being. The farther they drove, the safer they were. But like so much lately, he was conflicted. Declan was glad to see Lena safe, gone from this place she hated and from these monsters that would have her cold and dead again if they could get their claws on her.

  But he was sad as well. Of course he was.

  There was no guarantee he would see her again. There was no certainty he would be kept alive after this insolence. And he could no longer sense her. Not even the slightest glimmer of her presence. It was expected, of course. He had never felt the connection when she was human before. But he had gotten used to it. Deep inside his chest felt empty without her there. He would have to grow accustomed to it being gone. Many things had to be gotten used to once more.

  It was not even like she was safe. She could still be found. If Declan were killed, who would fight for her?

  Declan looked at Lennox as he collided into Ansell once more. The giant did not move. His strength was constant, but it was clear Declan and Lennox did not have that skill. They were tiring, and fast.

  Charles and his family were gathered in front of the manor, watching the fight. At any time, they could intervene and quite easily stop what was happening, yet they did not make a move.

  Declan expected they were only waiting for him and Lennox to exhaust themselves. Vampires to Declan’s knowledge did not put forth any avoidable effort.

  He detested how that truth applied to him as well.

  It would have been very easy to give in, give up, stop the futile brawl since their defeat was inevitable, but neither gave in. Declan and Lennox both charged the giant with all the might they retained relentlessly.

  “That’s quite enough, Ansell,” Charles’s voice finally rang through the clearing, and the giant straightened his posture and bowed his head in acknowledgement of his King’s wishes.

  “Why do you fight even though you can’t win?” Charles did not look at Lennox. He hardly acknowledged his presence there in the battle. His only interest was in Declan.

  He did not respond. Declan had already committed himself to severing his ties and allegiance to these creatures, to this family and to his former one. This included Charles. The King no longer deserved Declan’s respect.

  And Charles knew it almost immediately. His cool façade and jovial manner vanished. The King had always been able to alter his behavior in an instant. It was jarring, but Declan would not show surprise.

  “She will be mine,” he spat, his eyes alight with anger.

  Charles had gotten his way for centuries. He had never been denied that which he desired. Declan, who was not even a Master, would not be the first to stand in his way.

  Charles snarled. “You have no rights to her now.”

  The Vampire King had two faces, the bureaucrat who Lena had met and likely believed he truly was, and the monster that stood before Declan. His expressive, practically friendly face now showed the weight of thousands of years of wickedness. Charles looked more animal than human.

  Yet Declan did not flinch.

  “Lena and I belong to each other. You do not have a chance in the world with her,” Declan stated calmly, and did not recoil as Charles roared in his face.

  The Vampire King’s temper flared, but Declan watched as the emotions were reeled in within a moment. Charles’s had bigger plans for Declan. He would not be enticed into killing him so soon.

  Instead, he commanded his family without a word and walked out into the front lawn, towards where Lena had stood before getting into the car and being driven away.

  What he was planning to do, Declan did not know and could no longer see. The swarm of Charles’s family obstructed his view as they surrounded and seized him.

  Whether Charles did it as an extra cruelty, Declan did not know. But he and Lennox were dragged mercilessly through the corridors of the Castle and tossed into the same room Lena had been placed in to turn the human.

  It smelled of her. It smelled of her vampire blood, and of her human blood. And Declan could not stand it for even a second. As soon as the door was closed and the locks put in place, he got to work.

  Pulling sheets from the bed, he scrubbed the spots in the stone floor until his knuckles were raw, long after her blood was no longer deep in the crevasses of the rock. The few drops of thick, almost black vampire blood and the several puddles of dried, red human blood were in the sheet, along with flecks of stone and Declan’s flesh.

  Lennox watched confused, but Declan did not care. He did not offer explanation nor give thought to how what he was doing must appear. He only knew it had to be done.

  The torches were left lit, and Declan pulled one from its perch on the wall. Igniting the sheet, he placed it on the open floor and stepped away, watching it burn, the bright flames flickering in his eyes.

  It did not make Declan feel much better, but at least her scent was no longer filling the room. Now the burnt stench of ash replaced it.

  “I would like to thank you, Lennox, for coming to my aid today,” Declan said after smoke no longer climbed from the soot on the floor.

  “You are welcome, but you must know it wasn’t only for you. I care for Lena very much. You wouldn’t have been enough to stop Ansell for long.”

  Declan finally looked away from the embers on the floor and looked at Lennox. “I did not realize you and she were so close.”

  “I’m afraid there was much you didn’t know about her.”

  Declan bowed his head at the words, knowing they were wise. He had never tried hard enough, not while she was a vampire.

  “I am afraid you are correct, Lennox.”

  Lennox stood by Declan now, with his left hand on Declan’s right shoulder. “There is always time.”

  “Yes,” Declan nodded, but looked around the dim, stone room and wondered.

  It seemed as though Lennox realized the severity of the situation they were in at the same time, because he too scanned the room.

  Declan placed his left hand on Lennox’s right shoulder and said calmly, “If there is a way, we will see them again.”

  The certainty in Declan’s voice eased Lennox’s worry, and he closed his eyes with a nod and released Declan’s shoulder.

  Neither knew what would come next, but neither felt they would never see the ones they loved again either. They were able to take solace in that.