Stolen-Kindle1

by Merrill Gemus

  Turning over, she stared at the ceiling while she listened to her friends sleep. Their small soft snores and the occasional whimpers from Trish were somewhat comforting. Ally needed both of them to be well rested and alert for tomorrow. Too many hours have passed, and time was no longer on their side. (Geez, when was it?)

  Even with everything they had to face, Moira was being quite nice to them. Earlier, she brought fashion and gossip magazines with a cooler full of soft drinks. She arranged that a servant delivered pillows, mattresses and even blankets to their cells. Even a laptop (unfortunately, with no WI-FI connection) was given so they could play games.

  Though Ally still hated Moira, she was thankful for her efforts. It was nice that her friends were somewhat comfortable. They even seemed to act less grumpy. The food brought to Pam and Trish was succulent and quite appetizing. When asked why Ally was not being fed, she quickly replied that she felt no hunger while she was in mid-transformation. They seemed to have promptly accepted this explanation.

  Moira visited the trio, one last time, before heading out for the night. During this occasion, Ally quietly asked her if she would free Pam and Trish now. Moira stood back and, once again, asked how Ally felt. Ally did not understand what this obsession over her feelings meant.

  “I feel fine. Answer my question.”

  “I need a form of insurance. If you escape, I’ll kill them.”

  “What? I thought vampires were banned from killing humans.”

  She gave Ally another icy smile. Translation: How would anyone find out? Ally understood that both of her friend’s lives were in her hands.

  It didn’t really matter anyway, because even if she could manage to break free from her chains and flee, she was way too weak. She hated to admit it, but she really needed some blood. She asked Moira prudently on each and every occasion, but all she offered was water, wine or other assortment of drinks. Drinks that wouldn’t quite quench her thirst.

  To her horror, she realized that she slowly started to fantasize about drinking Pam and Trish’s blood. It was getting harder for Ally to see them as her friends. She would catch herself picturing them as two blood bags waiting to be pierced by her sharp fangs. The image terrified her. It was also exhilarating. Additionally, she knew her friends were feeling more and more uncomfortable being in the same chamber as her. Thank god, they were not in the same cell!

  Ally cringed remembering when Trish actually asked Moira for the guard to stand watch inside the dungeon instead of out. Belatedly, Trish added that she wanted this arrangement just in case she needed to use the restrooms. Right… It truly pained Ally to know that her closest friends were now afraid of her.

  Predictably, Moira refused her request and assured loudly to Trish that Ally would not hurt them. That she was securely locked and shackled. Moreover, she added, if anything weird started to happen, all Pam and Trish had to do, was let out a good loud scream, and the guard would rush in.

  Ally winced at those words. They hurt more than anything did. First, she took Ben, and now she was alienating her friends by starving her. She could not help how she felt! She just needed some blood!

  “Damn you Moira,” Ally muttered, shaking off images of her draining Trish’s blood.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  November 2nd

  8:26 PM

  Ally awoke to the sound of someone moving about in her cell. Before she had the time to utter a gasp, a man hunched over her and covered her mouth with his hand. It was strong, huge, and powerful. For the briefest moments, she hoped it was Ben, but this man had a different scent. Panicked, she had no idea who this intruder was.

  “Calm down. Don’t talk, don’t scream and don’t move. I’m not here to hurt you, but I will if you don’t listen. Do you understand?”

  Ally nodded. Her mind registered the words “not here to hurt you” and decided that whoever this man was, he could be a potential ally. Slowly and gradually, he released her mouth. He let his hand hover over her lips, just in case she changed her mind. As she stayed silent, Gabe scuffled away from her.

  “Are you Alice Korman?” He asked.

  Ally took this moment to get a good look at him. She gulped. He was absolutely formidable, and honestly, if she wasn’t completely head over heels in love with Benedict, she would have taken a chance on this one.

  If Benedict were the light in her life, this man would have been the darkness in hers. Dark coppery eyes burned with impatience, as he gazed intently on her. His chiseled jaw was tensed, and his full lips puckered, waiting for her response. However, something was wrong with him. As she focused her eyes, and stared at his athletically built body, she realized right away, what the problem was. Ally immediately stifled a shocked breath.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “My name is Gabriel Harlan.”

  “What are you?”

  Gabriel looked down at his body. Right, the metamorphosis. He was currently a naked, translucent being that Ally would have never encountered before. No wonder she looked as if he was a monster.

  “I’m a vampire.”

  “You don’t look like one. Why is your mouth not moving?”

  “Because we are conversing in our minds.”

  “Oh!” Ally exclaimed, “I can do that?”

  “Yes. Also, I cast a spell to get to you undetected. Hence, why I look like this.”

  Ally reached up to touch him. She wondered if her hand would slip right through him. Her curiosity was however not satisfied. Gabriel immediately grabbed her hand and scowled at her.

  “Do not touch me, unless I touch you.” Gabriel barked as he slapped her hand away from him.

  “Ow! Geez, I was just curious to see if I would have gone through you.” She gritted, while nursing her hand.

  “Are you Alice Korman?” Gabe repeated.

  “Yes!” Ally shouted mentally.

  “Are you completely transformed?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Have you eaten? Consumed any blood?” He pressed.

  “No.”

  “Clever, she’s very clever.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Moira. She’s the one who locked you in here, correct?”

  Ally stared in disbelief. This man knew about Moira and he did not seem the least surprise that she was involved in her incarceration.

  “Yeah, she is the one who locked me and my friends in here.”

  “The other humans are with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Gabriel sighed. When he slithered through one of the cracks in the foundation, he knew that he scented three females within the chamber. He was surprised, since he was expecting only one, and acknowledged that even though he came for Alice, he would eventually have to come back for the rest of the lot. He would never leave them defenseless to Moira’s wrath. Whatever her plans were with them.

  Now these women were actual friends of Alice? Things just got a lot more complicated. Would she be willing to escape without them? He was no longer sure if he was even willing to risk escaping with just her tonight. Though he did not encounter any issues getting inside the cell, he knew that the estate was being watched. Gabe hoped that Alice would have been fully transformed, but it seems that her transition had been slowed.

  How did Moira figure it out? How did she know that starving a morphed would slow her transition? Only a few people knew about it, and he was perplexed that this type of information would fall in her hands. Was she aware that it was dangerous to leave Ally near her friends in this state? Was Moira trying to provoke Ally?

  At that moment, Gabe looked back at Ally. Though she seemed tired, weak and obviously famished, she stayed at the far end of her cell, away from her friends as much as possible. Great, she was already being provoked.

  “I haven’t mentioned it earlier, but I am Benedict’s friend and I am here to free you. I want you to tell me everything that has happened since you were kidnapped.”

  Ally never heard such sweet words. Thi
s man was to rescue her from this god-forsaken place. She was much obliged to bring him up to speed, from the moment she lost consciousness, to the last time she saw Moira.

  “Are you experiencing the cravings?”

  “No.” She lied.

  “You better put your trust in me, little girl. I hate wasting my time.”

  “Yes, but only a little.”

  Gabe nodded. “You best warn your friends. It would be a good idea for them to keep their guards up. You are a bigger threat to them than Moira. As the time passes by, you will find it harder to control yourself. Eventually, you’ll succumb to it.”

  “I won’t.”

  Gabe shrugged; he hoped, for her sake, that she was right. “We have less than 48 hours before Moira is to wed Benedict.”

  “He won’t marry her.”

  “If you are still a prisoner here, than yes, he will.”

  “He loves me. We are bonded.”

  “Ah, yes, I know he loves you, but he is committed. You see, Benedict has postponed the date of his wedding on numerous occasions. When he asked to do it, one last time, Vincent, Moira’s father, was very adamant to get a signed contract from him. He wanted to assure that this delay would indeed be the last. Benedict, backed into a corner and desperate to gain a little bit more time, signed the deal, but demanded for an annulment of the contract if he found his mate. Vincent agreed but clarified that Benedict would have to be wedded and bonded to his mate for the annulment to take place.

  If he were unsuccessful at finding his mate, Benedict would marry Vincent’s daughter on November 4th at midnight. If he refused or reneged on the contract, he would have to forfeit all his estates, his household’s relics and his establishment in the high court.”

  “What? He agreed to that?!”

  “Yes, Alice. He wanted to give one last chance at finding his mate.”

  “What do you mean by “his establishment in the high court”?”

  “Ben is Executive Chief of the Justice Bureau. This position holds great power.”

  “So, he would lose everything? How could he sign such a deal?”

  “Cockiness,” Gabe said smiling, “but honestly, he always saw the contract as an empty threat. Either way, he was going to be married to someone on November 4th, he just hoped it was going to be you, his mate.”

  Ally smiled weakly. “So, what now? How am I supposed to leave?” She showed Gabe her chains. “I’m so weak that I can barely stand, never mind threading across estates and outrunning other vampires.”

  “Alice, listen, I—Wait, do you hear something?”

  Suddenly, the metallic door was thrown opened with a loud thud. Moira was standing inside the frame, sniffing the air and snarling. She was dressed in a small, black cocktail dress; her lips were bright red… stained with blood. Ally realized that she was now wearing the same expression on her face when she was about it hit her. Pure, uncontrolled fury.

  Gabriel was nowhere in sight. Had he already left her by the same way he appeared? Would he be bringing reinforcements? Ally was completely bewildered by the turn of events. An hour ago, she was almost giving up hope, now things were starting to look up. Instantly, she recomposed herself while pasting a blank stare on her face. She would be damned to give Moira any clues as to what had just happened.

  Moira continued to look around the room. From Ally’s perspective, it seemed as if she was savoring the air and analyzing its contents. By the grimace on her face, she did not like the taste one bit. In three strides, she stood in front of Ally’s cell. How could she move so fast?

  “Who was here?” Moira demanded.

  “Are you talking to me?” Ally asked sweetly.

  “Don’t be an incompetent bitch! WHO WAS HERE?!”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about. My friends were sleeping and I was quietly starving in my corner. Maybe some blood could help jog my memory?” She offered.

  “If you think you’re in pain now, wait until I tire of your nonsense!” Moira screamed.

  Ally yawned, truly amused. “If you don’t have any blood to feed me with, then get out of here. I’m tired and you’ve awakened my friends.”

  Moira turned to her left to see both Pam and Trish staring at her with wide-eyes. She knew that the girls barely moved within their cells. How did Ally hear them? Moira really hoped that she was not developing supersonic hearing.

  “What are you two staring at?!” Moira barked at the two girls.

  Promptly, they both looked away. Moira took notice of Pam’s smoldering hazelnut eyes. She noted to herself to keep a watch on her. That one could potentially be troublesome some day. She took one last quick look around the room, turned onto her heels, and stalked out of the chamber.

  Locking the door behind her, Moira could have sworn that she felt an intruder’s presence in her manor. The house seemed almost to welcome it. She shook her head. It couldn’t be Gabe. He was not foolish enough. Her sense were much stronger than his were, and he wasn’t as gifted with magical abilities. Especially, since her family took the relics from his household.

  Moira cursed, and decided to have her servants scour the area. With so little time, and so much at stake, she wanted to guarantee that everything went as planned.

  CHAPTER NINE

  November 3rd

  11:00 PM

  It was eleven o’clock and Gabe was anxiously pacing Ben’s study. “Where the devil was he?” He muttered to himself. Gabe had been searching for his friend for the past 24 hours. Unbelievably, he had found no trace of him. He had an inkling that he was working at his office, but his secretary swore that he was not present at his desk. Gabe might have believed her, were she not a damn Verdon. Curses! That family was crawling all over the place!

  He stopped pacing and leaned out the window. The night was cold and gloomy; the moon was high and full, illuminating the grounds below. Gabe particularly liked nights like these; the chilly climate helped ease and soothe his temper. He took another deep breath to steady his nerves. Was this the fifth time he had done so since he stormed into this room? Blasted! It was of no use. Temper rising, he slammed his fist on the windowpane. Gabe had news to share! The Verdons WERE behind this whole affair. Time was of essence and they must make haste to free Ally…and her friends.

  He sighed and walked away from the window, looking for a place to rest. He reached the leather armchair that was facing the fireplace and sat heavily upon it. With a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, he wondered if he was particularly in a hurry to rescue Ally because he hoped to save the blonde girl dressed as Little Red Riding hood. He closed his eyes and replayed, once again, what he witnessed inside Ally’s dungeon.

  Before slipping through the same crack he came in, he entered the adjacent cell and regrettably saw her. She was curled up, her knees nearly touching her chin. Her wavy blond hair spilled around her, rippling across her shoulders and resting on her back. He inhaled sharply at the glimpse of her, before she awoke to Moira’s shouts. Never had he desired anyone or anything as much as he had at that moment. He turned swiftly away and vanished out of the cell.

  Damn it! How cruel was fate to throw this curveball at him? He was not expecting to find his mate. Hell, he was happy not to be betrothed. Gabe chose bachelordom for himself. He tried his hand at celibacy, but that was a tad too difficult. Bachelorhood was a good compromise since he had nothing to offer to anyone. He would not have any estates to inherit, nor would he have any land to build on. His household possessed very little wealth, and they held no title. He was scum and he did not care…as long as he got back at the Verdons.

  However, not everything was so clear now. While he gazed at her, he thought, for a small moment, that everything was perfect. He no longer was hungry for vengeance or dead set to regain everything that was lost to the Harlan’s house. She was everything; the beginning and the end. Her soft supple body, which lay innocently beside her friend, stirred something deep within him. Something primal, instinctual. He wanted to claim her as
his own; to forget about those dark bitter years he had to face. Damn it all to hell! He wanted to bond and mate with her until she screamed his name.

  What about his plans? He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking off the sudden desire that was threatening to engulf him. He reminded himself that he could not afford to be distracted at the moment. Everything was finally falling into place. He had the Verdons exactly where he wanted them. Soon, very soon, he would destroy them.

  “Stay focused.” He said.