As they secured me I kicked over the tray as the drug started to take full effect. My vision went fish eyed and focusing suddenly took effort. My screams and yowls died to sobs as they finished chaining me in the middle of the room. Was I going to die here in agony and alone? Stop sobbing like an idiot. Do you really think that is accomplishing anything at all? Miss Manners’ chiding silenced me. Think, idiot. They put you in here to scare you. He said he’d give you a day to reconsider, this is your option B. Am I a coward if I choose to cooperate? Yes, but one who will stay alive.
The sun was warm on my back when Blaine entered with Charlotte at his side. She looked so happy beside him. She wants revenge for Midnight with Mara.
“D-do you r-really think that th-they will j-j-just step a-aside?”
“The Sun Cross has deeper roots than you realize. The right Vampires have always been a part of it since its inception.”
“It’s n-not what it used to be. Humans aren’t what they used to be. You both might want Vlad and council out of power but then what?”
“Stop it. You’re wasting your breath. Your lack of knowledge of your situation is telling, and why shouldn’t it be you’ve had your mouth around House Dracul cock since the beginning. I told Gregory we should just kill you, but he insists that you’re useful.”
“They’ll turn on you. Once you usurp council, the humans in the Sun Cross will come for you next.”
“Ignore her, Babe. Once we learn to fear you, we’ll all grovel at your feet in our rightful place,” Charlotte practically whispered to Blaine
“You can’t murder people like you used to, people notice when people go missing. There are dental records, DNA, and forensics. And as strong as Vampires are the sun is still a weakness. Going public was to protect your interes—”
“Aleksi forced us public. We had little choice after his stunt with the Titanic. He caused the deaths of two thousand people because he didn’t want to lie about what he was anymore. Well, I’ll take that as your answer for the day. A little something to think about.” He walked over to where the tray had been knocked over and picked up the scalpel off of the ground and stabbed me with it. That razor sharp knife sunk into the flesh between my shoulder and neck with ease and he just left it there. “I’ll leave you a few days to think about that,” he spoke over my shrill scream. Just like that he left me to cry and twist in agony.
In all honesty, I don’t know how long I stayed like that. The pain refused to abate as the slightest movement caused the scalpel to work its way deeper into me. I couldn’t sleep. Sunrise and sunset blurred together. They didn’t feed me, but they did bring me water when they came to inject me with that drug that kept my powers just out of reach. The unfortunate reality was that the pain was so great that even if they weren’t drugging me I would have been unable to concentrate long enough to do anything. Eventually after I had started to heal around the scalpel someone pulled it out. I spent most of my time shivering and staring at the door. I almost became excited when I saw it open, and then… I stopped dreaming of freedom.
Around the time I stopped thinking of being rescued I was finally taken down from the chains in the room. They took me to a basement and hosed me down with freezing cold water. I still wore that costume and the once white tutu and bodice were tarnished almost tea colored with sweat. They wrapped me in a towel and walked me to the room with the window and closed the door behind me.
Upon seeing the window I froze. Snow coated everything and fell in fat snowflakes which coaxed tears from my eyes… it had been at least a month probably more. My feet carried me to the window and I looked down at the busy street below. A bus drove by drawing my attention. On the side was a billboard for the Westley Ballet’s first show since integrating with the vampires and werewolves. I couldn’t even find the strength to scream let alone get angry. I shuffled over to the bed and collapsed against the thin rough sheets.
The next morning I didn’t fight them as they held me down and injected me with that drug and I was rewarded for it. That night someone opened my door and set a Styrofoam tray of food just inside before shutting it again—my first meal in a month. The moment I smelled the food my mouth filled with saliva. I practically ran over to the tray and started shoveling food into my mouth with my hands. It was oatmeal and sausage. I hated plain oatmeal and still I licked the tray when I had finished.
As I peeled myself off of the floor the door was suddenly kicked open.
“Police!” Someone shouted as they shined a light in my face. I shielded my eyes from the brightness as I listened to a commotion take place in the hall. “Holy shit!” The officer exclaimed as he looked me over before he turned off his flashlight. “I found her. Fourth floor, second door from elevator,” he whispered into his radio as a flurry of “clears” were heard down the hall following several gunshots. “Autumn, right? I’m officer Rogers. Can you walk?” He furrowed dark brows at me but I didn’t answer him. I stumbled over to the bed and sat on the edge of it as he tucked his gun away. “Send the EMTs up. She looks pretty bad,” he half murmured into the radio again. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”
I shook my head no and wrapped the thin sheet around me. Five minutes later an EMT showed up, she was a woman roughly my age with big blue eyes and mousy blonde hair and not a trace of make up on her face. She smiled at me for a while as she took my pulse but said nothing. She looked familiar. I couldn’t place her face but I knew I had seen her before.
“I called Leslie for you,” She spoke as she helped me up. My legs were wobbly and my brows knit together. How did she know Leslie?
“Oh,” I whispered as she led me to the elevator with Officer Rogers.
“I’m her cousin, Dana. I was at the wedding… one of three of her family members there.” She laughed nervously. “She didn’t win any fans in the family by marrying Tristan. It’s so sad because he’s so nice. I met my fiance there. He’s not a dancer or anything, he’s an accountant with R.G.H.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” I pursed my lips and smiled weakly.
“I know I’m rambling but you’ll be at the hospital before you know it and surrounded by your friends.” She shined the pen light in my eyes and pursed her lips. “Did they give you anything?”
“They gave me a shot every morning, it was for…” I trailed off and pursed my lips.
“Your asthma? Right?” She smirked and met my eyes.
“I think… I don’t know what they gave me. It disoriented me, I still don’t feel… right.” I looked down at my hands.
The moment they brought me through the ambulance bay into the hospital, Aleksi and Nikolai were both there. Aleksi wore his tights, ballet slippers and that black jacket he always wore. He looked like he had been in the middle of rehearsal when they called him and he just left. Nikolai however, clearly had taken the time to change. He looked like he could have come from anywhere and part of me was suspicious of how put together he was. Though he seemed happy to see me he didn’t look as worn as Aleksi did. My eyes followed him across the room as Aleksi pulled me into a tight hug. I melted in those strong arms and basked in his warmth as I buried my face against his neck. The familiar heat, scent and that matching cadence of his heart turned the corners of my mouth into a smile. He walked with the stretcher as he held me, while the hospital staff kept asking him to move. Little did they know that he was Aleksi and he moved for no one… except maybe me.
When he released me doctors swarmed me. They changed the IV as they settled me into a private room and started drawing blood. Again they shined that light in my eyes and someone made a note on my chart before disappearing. I didn’t need to see the chart to know what they were writing. Whatever I had been given was still in my system. A nurse came in and hooked me up to a machine that monitored my heart rate and then glanced at my chart.
“The Police are on their way for a statement, they’ll probably be here in an hour. I’ll be right back with a nice dry hospital gown, and a doctor to check that wound.” The nurse sm
iled at me before shooting odd looks to Aleksi and Nikolai before leaving. Nikolai leaned against the door and glanced at Aleksi. Neither had said anything yet. I pulled the blanket up, I was so cold still. I near to shivered in the fresh sheets.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Aleksi whispered as he pulled me against his chest again.
“No one could find any trace of you. It was like you just vanished.” Nikolai sighed out as Aleksi tried to warm me like he could sense that I was heat starved.
“Unfortunately you can’t tell the police the entire truth.” Aleksi slowly released me and caressed my cheek, he was frowning. “You can say you were kidnapped by the Sun Cross, of course, but you can’t tell them about Wyatt.”
“Why?” I inquired, my voice hoarse and near silent.
“Wyatt’s dead,” Nikolai answered earning a dirty look from Aleksi.
“Tell me, who else was there?”
“Blaine… he looked exactly like Winston, complete with the fake tan… he s-s-said…” I fell apart and Aleksi’s arms were around me again as I fell into tears. “He said he was… was going t-t-to break me.” That last little word was so high pitched that it was possible that only dogs heard it. Still Aleksi rubbed my back and soothed me as he rocked me back and forth. It took a few minutes, but I recovered enough to wipe my eyes and quiet my warbled breath.
“Anyone else?”
“Gregory… he I think he knew I was the Seer. And I think I heard Vlad in the hall one day but…” I shook my head.
“It’s okay. Don’t mention Vlad being there, or Wyatt, or anything about you being the Seer, okay?”
“You want me to lie to the police?”
“No, I want you to omit.”
“Why?”
“For one, I killed Wyatt,” Aleksi stated with casual nonchalance. There was no affect to his voice or face, it was like he was saying he took out the trash. He had done something that to him seemed no more important than a banal and necessary chore. “I had my suspicions about Vlad, but with Elizabeta’s pending nuptials I refuse to have anyone connected to me ruin them. I highly doubt we could prove he was there so it’s for the best not to say anything. And… well the last should go without saying, Autumn. Blaine and Gregory may know but if the humans running it figure out what that means they’ll take you again.”
“But—”
“There will be no further discussion over this, Autumn. Trust me for once.” He released me and walked for the door shooting Nikolai another dirty look. The younger vampire moved to the side allowing Aleksi to leave the room.
Nikolai and I sat in silence for a while, then the nurse came in and they cut me out of the costume. It felt so incredibly good to wear something else. The hospital gown was so ugly and generic but it was something else, without that romantic tutu hitting my knees I could start to forget what happened. Nikolai took a seat by the door but didn’t say anything as the horde of doctors and nurses tended to me. They sewed up the wound on my shoulder and bandaged it. Just as the doctors and nurses left, two detectives came in to take my statement. I omitted what Aleksi had asked me to, Wyatt’s involvement, Vlad’s voice and…
“Why do you think they took you?” The younger detective asked. He looked maybe twenty five tops, his eyes still had a certain kind of light in them that read as innocence.
“I think…” I trailed off and sighed. “I don’t know really. Maybe because of what happened on Midnight with Mara? Charlotte was there.”
“Alright, well… try to get better okay. You were one of the lucky ones.”
“How?” My question prompted the older detective to glare at the younger one.
“Ignore my partner. The Sun Cross has been a pain in our ass for a while now. I’m sure you remember the murders coordinated across the country this summer.” He’s lying. Still, in spite of Miss Manners’ assertion I nodded. The detectives left shortly after leaving me and Nikolai finally alone.
“I was lucky…” I whispered to myself shaking my head with a wince. Every motion of my neck tugged on my fresh stitches.
“You survived,” he offered with a smile as he moved from his corner of the room to sit on the side of the bed.
“Somehow.” I shook my head and glanced up at Nikolai.
“You’re far stronger than you realize, Autumn. Just because you’re submissive doesn’t mean you’re weak. Aleksi went to pieces a little when you went missing. Him and Colette…” He trailed off and shook his head. “They tortured Wyatt to death. It takes… a lot to kill a vampire. He didn’t talk… that bothered him I think.”
“That doesn’t seem like going to pieces.”
“It broke something to have you taken from him. The same way…” He trailed off and sighed pulling me against him.
“And you?”
“I knew you’d survive. I could feel you. I didn’t know where you were but I knew you were still alive.” He sighed and rubbed my arms. “I missed you, but I didn’t fall apart like the others. Granted I had a few sessions with Estella to ground me.”
“Others?”
“Evan turned into a bit of a basket case. You’d think he was fine and then tears would just fall silently for no reason. Leslie has been on vacation since you went missing. She comes in for class but she’s not dancing in a production until the Nutcracker cycle begins.” He breathed in my scent and nuzzled against my neck. “God I’ve missed you,” he whispered almost inaudibly, and then I caught out of the corner of my eye, his fingernails and the blood under the nail bed.
Everyone handles stress in their own way and Nikolai’s was self-harm. I took his hands in mine and held both of them as I looked up at him and into those bright blue eyes. Touching him I could feel the relief he was hiding, as well as, the nervousness that lurked just under the surface laced with fear. My fingers sought out his jaw all on their own. He leaned into my touch, a happy little purr escaping his lips.
“Whatever you did, it’s okay.” I smiled at him releasing his hands. He hung his head and nodded. The door opened and Aleksi walked back in, he paused in the threshold and stared at us. For a heartbeat his face was blank, that empty mask of displeasure he so often wore; but it was only there for a heartbeat, then he smiled and approached us.
18
GLIMMER OF HOPE
APPARENTLY, I SHOULD HAVE DIED AND I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE HELD HOSTAGE in that building. The last dose of the drug they gave me was intended to be lethal. When the Sun Cross found out the police were onto them they killed all of their prisoners by injecting them with enough Vaxilphan to shut down the central nervous system entirely. I was the only one to ever survive a Vaxilphan overdose. The worst part was I wasn’t taken because of my connection to Aleksi. I wasn’t even taken because I was the Seer. They didn’t even take me to send a message. They had known Sun Cross members in the rooms in the building. That was the worst part of all of it—the not knowing. After Aleksi found out that they didn’t know why I was taken he, Nikolai and Leslie always made sure one of them was with me at all times.
“They’re meeting with Vlad,” Leslie said as she stood in front of my mirror. She placed her hand on her stomach for a moment and looked at herself from the side.
“When? Not now, I mean…” I stepped out of the bathroom and pulled my thick sweater down. The month of not eating had taken its toll on me. I was certainly no longer the fat friend. No you’re now the anorexic one everyone feels sorry for. I frowned a little as I looked at myself in the mirror.
“After the wedding. And don’t make that face; you’ll be back to normal before you know it!”
“I suppose.”
“No supposing!” She poked me in the side and smirked. We were packing, Vlad and Elizabeta were getting married in Romania. “And I… wanted to tell you first. Which I guess is kind of weird but… you’re like my sister.”
“Should I be worried?” I raised a brow as I tucked my boots into the suitcase.
“No. This is amazing news, which is why I wanted to tell you firs
t. You need good news.” She took a breath and giggled, her green eyes lighting up. “I’m pregnant!” She held her arms wide and jazz hands’d complete with spirit fingers. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning, and then came the tears. “Hey… hey, no tears! This is great news! Happy news!”
“I’m just so happy for you guys!” I sobbed out.
“Yeah, it sucked to kick the guys out of bed. But it was worth it. Granted I was fertile enough that I was worried about someone sneezing on me by the end, but it happened. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone, I’m only eight weeks but fuck ‘em. If I lose it there’s always—” I placed my hand on her stomach and focused. It was a girl, a girl with blonde curls and her mother’s determined eyes. A girl who played with that little blue eyed boy…a girl who cried at my funeral at the ripe age of five. The tears continued to fall.
“She’s going to be beautiful.” I smiled at her and she hit my shoulder.
“Fuckin’ a,’ Aut, I wanted to be surprised!” she teased giggling.
“Oh…” I smirked and shook my head.
“I’m kidding! Holy hell, Aut. Holy fuckin’ hell.” She placed her hands on her stomach.
“You haven’t told Tristan?”
“I’m telling him tonight when we’re all at dinner. You get first dibs because well… you’re my best friend. I know I’m not the best of friends but… shit now I’m going to start to cry.” She pulled me into a tight hug. After a few moments she recovered her composure and straightened her make up. “I spent some time talking to Nikolai. So much time. He’s the only child of a vampire I know. Aside from Aleksi and Colette but they didn’t want to talk about their childhoods. I know he’s the product of two vampires but if he can be born healthy and naturally, believe it or not he was a surprise.”—She air quoted surprise—“Aleksi is the most fertile vampire out there. A vampire having a child without fertility treatments is almost unheard of… add in the fact that Colette’s essentially a corpse—Nikolai is a miracle baby.”
Dark Awakenings (Danse Macabre Book 2) Page 35