by Tanja Neise
How was I supposed to answer that? Yes, of course! I see it quite clearly before me? If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, my built-in navigation system didn't work that easily simply because I had the name Olivia Morgan programmed in. That would’ve been nice and would’ve made things a lot easier. I had to shake my head in answer to Anne's question.
We remained awkwardly silent until we reached the bottom. When the lift doors opened again, we were suddenly standing face-to-face with an armed group. They were looking directly at us, with strained expressions. At first, my hand in which I was holding my weapon twitched, but I quickly relaxed again when I saw who we had in front of us.
“Shazar, old friend!” I exclaimed. My hand outstretched, I walked towards the giant, who was two metres tall and had a deep mahogany complexion.
The smile that crept onto his face exposed two rows of white teeth – vampire teeth. “Raphael, fancy seeing each other again – it’s about time!”
“This is, unfortunately, not a good time, but I’m happy to see you all the same. With you at our side, we’re ready for what may be yet to come.”
He looked at me, questioningly, with his eyebrows raised. “Dark merely told us that Ladorre had escaped. But I sense that something else is weighing you down.” Shazar was a very emphatic vampire whom I had known and appreciated for hundreds of years. His special gift had been helpful on many occasions. By all means, he was someone you didn't forget very quickly.
“My father has kidnapped the woman I am bound to,” I said. Even though we hadn’t yet completed the ritual, we were ultimately tied to each other due to her father's experiments. Was it a lie? I didn't know, but I wanted the other vampires, who were eyeing me curiously, to understand what Olivia's relationship was to me.
Shazar shook his head, aghast. “That man is becoming more and more outlandish. He used to be one of the ones who stood up for justice in our society and was proud that his son was our leader.”
Thinking back to those times almost choked me up. And it was those very memories that had kept me from killing my own father. “That was a long time ago. The man from that time no longer exists.”
The good fellow lowered his head briefly, signalling his empathy. “Another topic – Katarina is working on the other issue. As soon as she knows anything, she'll contacts us.”
I looked at him blankly as I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Since he noticed my lack of knowledge, he frowned in confusion and then looked questioningly at Dark, who was shuffling uneasily from one leg to the other.
I squinted for a moment and groaned: “Dark!”
“Yes, boss!” With two steps he was at my side and looking to the ground.
“What's going on here?” I demanded, but he didn't answer.
Shazar put a hand on my shoulder. “Leave him be, my friend. He's going through agony.” I didn’t understand at all. What was going on here? A moment later, though, Shazar explained everything to me. “His sister and nephews are in the hands of some soldiers and are currently being taken to one of the rehabilitation camps.” And suddenly I understood.
Anne, next to me and terrified, gasped for air. “Oh my God!”
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
The darkened limousine glided silently over the asphalt. It was the same model as the one Robert owned. Or was it his one, in fact? Spencer was steering the vehicle safely, just as he had done for Robert. Ladorre apparently had the same weakness for chauffeurs as his son. I fervently hoped it wasn't the only thing they had in common. Because only if the man who was sitting silently next to me had a heart, did I have a chance of surviving. Should he be like the tyrannical bloodsuckers described in our history lessons, then I’d have no chance and would either voluntarily seek death or go insane. The prospects were rosy, I thought, sarcastically.
A brightly-lit surface appeared in front of us. Seattle airport had seen better days, and goose pimples crawled across my forearms. As soon as we were on one of the planes, it would be impossible for Robert to find me again, wouldn't it?
Suddenly a thought flashed through my mind and I wondered why I hadn't thought of it before. “Spencer?”
The man's gaze darted to the rear-view mirror, in which he was now looking at me. “Yes, Miss Morgan?”
Before I voiced the sentence, my stomach was already in knots. “What about Sally and the boys?”
He remained silent, and this silence was what caused me to hunch up in crippling pain, gasping for air. It was as if I was having a panic attack.
The fear I was experiencing gave me bitter nausea. When I started to swallow several times, Ladorre's head moved over to me. “Spencer! Pull over!”
The older man abruptly drove to the edge of the runway.
“Get outside in the fresh air, girl!” Ladorre was indignant, but I was glad he was allowing me to leave the vehicle for a moment. I hastily opened the door and stepped out into the night. I inhaled the cold air and looked up at the stars. Tears slowly obscured my gaze until they were finally running down my cheeks.
“All three of them are still alive. You can relax, that would make it easier for both of us. When you’re feeling better, we have to continue. Our plane is waiting.” Frightened, I flinched when I heard his voice right next to my ear.
With an angry look I turned around and glared at the man, yet I felt relief at the fact that my friend and her sons were still alive. “In your presence, Ladorre, I will never feel good!” Suddenly, I turned around again and looked at the many lights lining the runways. A long way down the road, I could see a small plane rolling out of the hangar.
Next to me, the vampire laughed. “My love, then you just won't feel good. Believe me, I stopped taking other people's feelings into consideration a long time ago. I just don't enjoy it and it's so gruelling in the long run.” Putting a light pressure on my back, he pushed me back towards the car. I believed him, thus, I couldn't really relax. Relax, to make it easier for me and for him? No, that was something that was beyond possible for me.
Then a thought came to me. Perhaps I could negotiate with him and benefit from it. When I arrived at the car door I turned around and looked him closely in the eyes. “Make sure that Sally and her children are well, that they can go back home, then I won't resist this arrangement between the two of us anymore, and me...” I waited for a moment before I continued: “And I’ll relax.”
Ladorre looked at me, keeping a straight face. I had the feeling I’d pressed the right button, but when he began to laugh, he completely shattered that hope. “Delicious, girl. You're just too delicious, like your blood.” Then he became serious and looked at me from dark eyes, which reflected the blackness of his soul. “I don't care whether you are participating willingly or not. You will have to do what I want. A little passion and resistance only increase the fun. So stop your silly attempts at negotiation and just get in.”
With wobbly legs, I did what he’d ordered me to do, but everything in me was crying out for resistance. Only how and when?
Anne Rumsfield
I was horrified by what this Shazar had told us. As part of my training, I had been stationed in one of the government's rehabilitation camps for a week. That had been the only time in my entire career as a member of the elite unit, as I doubted whether it was the right thing to be doing. When I returned home, a week of shock and insomnia lay behind me.
I’d rather die than have to go there. There was no way of escape, as the inmates were implanted with a chip that, should anyone attempt to remove it, opened itself out and released a lethal dose of a poison. On my first day we’d been chasing a woman; when we found her she was sitting on the floor, cutting her forearm with a knife. Within seconds the poison spread, and the prisoner died from severe seizures. Foam had formed at her mouth and her eyes were swelling out of their sockets. I would remember that sight for the rest of my life. Like a laser tattoo, it had been burned onto my retina and occasionally woke me with a jolt from a restless sleep at night.
S
peechless, I stared at Dark. He’d known since the phone call. It was due to this that he’d been so different – there was no doubt about it. He was definitely having to endure agony; Shazar had put it in a nutshell. Dark and his sister were a deeply connected unit, they belonged together and he would starve without her. Would he be able to drink from me? Probably not, because the poison had certainly not disappeared into thin air just because I’d been transformed.
And nevertheless, he was standing here at his boss’s side and wasn’t going to let him down. He would fight side by side with him and me. That alone was enough to look at him a little more through rose-tinted glasses. I was turning soft, but it didn't matter. The guy was hot, strong and intelligent. He was loyal and nothing threw him off balance. Dark was the man I had subconsciously been looking for, without even realising it. I admired him and had the feeling this was mutual. Perhaps I was wrong, but that wasn't important. I would help him get his sister back, whatever the cost.
“Dark?” Robert's voice sounded sensitive as he turned around. I watched them both with eagle eyes. If either one of them even thought of addressing Dark with the wrong tone, I would throw myself in between them and annihilate those vampires. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
Dark gave his boss a cold look. “If I’d known more, of course. So long as they’re flying away on a plane and we don't know where to, we can't do anything anyway. That's why, for the time being, my main focus has been on whichever problem we could solve fastest – Olivia. Besides, you have enough worries, I didn't want to impose even more of a burden on you.”
Robert looked at him, shaking his head; sadness emerged in the vampire leader’s eyes, who would also be my leader from now on. “That would never be a burden. I’m not only your superior, but also – I hope – your friend. I share my sorrows and worries with you and you share yours with me. Never forget that.” As he spoke, he laid a hand on his shoulder and his gaze was firm. It was an extraordinary moment; everyone in the room was aware of it. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Understood,” said Dark, and awkwardly bowed his head. If I wasn't so sure I was wrong, I could have sworn tears were glistening in Dark's eyes at that moment. But that was ridiculous – at least, that's what I thought.
I couldn't help it – my body moved towards him as if of its own accord. Without caring what the others were saying or thinking, I moved directly to his side. I was so close that my arm was touching his and I could feel the heat it was emitting. Was it because I’d been drinking from him? Essentially, I knew far too little, although until recently I’d thought I knew everything about vampires. In any case, I felt this sense of belonging that drew me to him, which compelled me to be as close to him as possible. That was all that mattered to me at the moment. “What about Spencer?” Robert asked.
“No trace of him,” Shazar replied.
Shazar stood quietly with us and waited. Waited for his leader to make a decision. We all stood by patiently and, finally, Robert straightened himself up to his full height.
“We’ll split up. Katarina’s unit, Dark and Anne will bring Sally and the boys back.” This man was good. He didn't talk about trying, but informed his people point-blank that there’d be no failure. We would bring the three of them back. Yes, Sir! “Shazar, you, your men and I will take care of Ladorre.” He paused briefly, then raised his voice to an even louder pitch. “And this time, no one will hesitate if the opportunity arises to kill him. Do we understand each other?”
Everyone raised their weapons and cheered. This was how true leaders spoke. Suddenly, I saw Robert Tensington in a completely new light.
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
We didn't go to the official airport building. Instead, Spencer pulled the limousine up next to one of the hangar buildings and turned around to face us. “I'll see if our intermediary’s here yet.”
“All right, Spencer. There's gold in the boot.” Ladorre didn't even look at him, whilst he typed something into his holographic keypad. After the chauffeur had left the car, I tried to watch my captor out of the corner of my eye and work out what he was doing. When I finally caught a glimpse of the display, however, which was flickering in front of him as a hologram, I was disappointed to establish that he was communicating in a language I wasn’t familiar with.
If only I knew where he wanted to go! I thought, nervously, because then I could have left Robert a message somewhere. How, I didn't even know, though I didn't need to worry about the how, anyway – I didn't have the slightest clue where we were heading.
Disappointed by my shortcomings, I stared out of the window and watched Spencer disappear into the hangar. He was carrying a bag that clearly weighed several kilograms. It was interesting to see what could be achieved with enough gold.
“I can hear the little cogs spinning in your head from here,” Ladorre quipped, keeping his gaze riveted on the projection in front of him.
“Oh yes, I’ve wondered what it must feel like to be free again after such a long period of time. Just like you, now. That must be an exhilarating feeling. Perhaps along with the desire for revenge, for blood,” I was trying to agitate him a little. It would certainly be very beneficial to make my captor howl, if it meant I’d be set free. If...
He laughed joylessly. “Believe me, girl. After half an eternity and thousands of killed adversaries, you learn how boring revenge can be. It’s much more interesting to have a good opponent, because that way it never gets boring. What use is it if I’m without enemies one day? It’d bore someone like me to death. No, it's better if my son stays alive.” Then he finally turned around to look at me. A streak of evil spread across his face. “Once I’ve taken you, it will affect him so much that he’ll wish he were dead. And that's a much sweeter revenge than killing someone.”
I turned away and looked out of the window, trying to ignore him to the greatest possible extent; I found it extremely hard. Simply not keeping my eyes on him all the time made me feel like I was surrendering to him. Who knew when he would next get hungry? Not to mention force himself upon me.
Robert Tensington / Raphael
“Take the private jet. Inside, you’ll find enough gold and diamonds, in case you have to bribe anyone. And you are the most familiar with the weapons and technical equipment; I don't have to explain them to you.” I looked deeply into his eyes for a moment. “Get those three back!” I patted Dark on the shoulder and hoped I’d see him again. Anne was standing next to him and had apparently elected herself as his personal bodyguard. I liked the woman a lot and the two suited each other perfectly. Hopefully, they would pull it all off together. It was out of my hands; I could only hope. I now had to focus all my attention on saving Olivia. It was absolutely awful that we were having to fight on two different fronts today.
“I will!” Dark nodded and turned to Anne. He took her hand. It might have looked romantic if the two hadn't been armed to the teeth. That's what they looked like, like fighting lovers that nobody could stop. It still amazed me how quickly Anne had come to terms with the fact that she was now one of us. After all, she had vowed, until very recently, to kill the last vampire herself. Perhaps Sir Rumsfield had altered something in her genetics, too. Otherwise, I could hardly explain why she was so quick to cope with the change. Not only psychologically, but also physically, it usually took quite some time to deal with the changes. The tremendous sense of hearing caused headaches in the beginning, and putting the razor-sharp vision to use had to be learned first. But Anne was managing all this in such a short time that I instinctively wondered whether it could be traced to genetics that had possibly been altered.
It usually took days for a newly-transformed vampire to be walking around displaying such self-control. Of course, I’d felt the aggression emanating from her when she felt the desire to fight for Dark. You didn't have to be an empath for that; any idiot would have noticed. But this was also normal to an extent, because Dark had been the first to feed her. Transformed vampir
es felt the bond, even if it wasn’t the same as the ritual. Yet this transformation had been extremely abnormal. For the time being, I had to concentrate on something else and shoved the thoughts right to the back of my head.
Shazar came to my side and viewed me cautiously. “Shall we?”
I nodded, hesitantly. The question of where to go was haunting my brain. Since Shazar knew nothing about the extraordinary bond between Liv and myself, he couldn't possibly suspect what a struggle I was having as far as finding Liv was concerned. What was I to do if Ladorre had already taken her out of the country?
Suddenly, my head jolted upwards. “Airport!” I shouted loudly, so that every single one of the twenty or so present knew where we were going.
Anne Rumsfield
We’d left for the airport at breakneck speed, without the slightest concern for the rules that we were so openly violating. Thank God there were almost no civilians on the streets. I matched my pace with Dark's as we walked across one of the runways. With his free hand, he activated his speaking device and established a connection. He emanated tension; I could literally feel it in the palm of my hand. Nevertheless, I didn’t take my hand from his, and squeezed it a little harder instead. He immediately registered what he’d been doing, and gently stroked my skin with his thumb.
“Katarina? I saw that you tried to reach me. What is it?” Again, he remained silent and listened to what the woman at the other end had to say. “All right! I’ll take Tensington's private jet. Yes, that’d be great. See you later.”
Then he turned his head to me. “We’re going to meet at the rehabilitation facility. Our destination is Louisville.”
I’d already heard about the facility in Louisville. Mostly women and their children were taken there. What at first sounded social and human, on closer inspection, turned out to depict the door to hell. Louisville was one of the largest military cities in America. The job was still a man's domain, and accordingly, there were a lot of unsatisfied, testosterone-fuelled bucks, that people somehow needed to keep entertained. Mothers were extremely suitable for it, because they held sway over them with the children, which made these women utterly compliant. I was ashamed that I’d never spoken out against such treatment of the imprisoned women. Why on earth did I look away? And why only now that I knew one of the women did I know how hard this fate was for these mothers? I’d made myself complicit.