The Vampire King's Cage

by T. S. Ryder

  "Then now's the best time for camping," he said. "Before you're too far along."

  "Right." Mary sighed. What had she been expecting? "Yes. Of course."

  ***

  Had he come across too strongly?

  Andre shook his head, pacing from one end of his apartment to the other. It had come unfurnished and he hadn't bothered to get anything he'd have to leave behind. When he embraced his Bear, he was comfortable enough at night and he didn't really spend time during the day here.

  "I should have stopped staring," he muttered. "I probably freaked her out."

  But he just hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. He wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Maybe if he had, she'd have remembered.

  Or she could have called the police on him and never wanted anything to do with him again. After all, he was just some person she had just met! Yes, she had a sense that she might remember him, but that was all it was–a sense. He couldn't let impatience ruin his chance to be able to one day be with her again. No, he had to let her make the first move.

  He was so engrossed in his dilemma that he did not realize his Bear was snarling until the door to his apartment opened. Andre whirled, crouching, ready to embrace his Bear and take care of the intruder.

  The gun pointed at him stopped him from moving.

  Andre glared at the man as he shut the door behind him. He was even taller than Andre was and broader, but with a narrow pointed face. Grant Easton. The Bear that had manipulated Mary to returning to the Wolves so that he could follow her and slaughter them.

  "I thought I crushed your face," Andre growled at him.

  Easton narrowed his eyes, holding the gun with two hands. "You know that we Bears heal quickly. Even quicker with the right medicines. I thought that you would be with your precious Mary by now."

  The other Bear's aim was steady. Andre knew he would not be able to disarm him before Easton got off at least two bullets. So he slowly straightened, moving out of his defensive posture. Better give the other Bear no excuse to kill him.

  "What are you doing here, Easton? You must have better things to do than tracking me down. Like slaughtering innocent people."

  "No Werewolf is innocent, especially no Werewolf associated with Paul Locke!" Easton's eyes grew fiery and he stepped forward, raising his aim from Andre's heart to his head. "You went to them and told them we were coming. You betrayed your wife and daughter, you betrayed your own kind! By the time we got there, they had all vanished except for a handful claiming to be the community's only hunters."

  "I don't really care about them."

  "No? Not even that your Mary's brother Peter was among them?"

  His bear growled at the name alone, and Andre forced himself to stay calm. He was certain Peter was already dead, but if he wasn't… did he owe it to Mary to find out more information? At least he'd be able to tell Julia that her brother was dead, so she'd stop trying to make him abandon Mary for him.

  "Peter Locke," Andre said slowly, "was with Paul when he killed Isadore and Eve. I only care about his fate as far as his death would bring me a sense of justice."

  "Then why didn't you kill him yourself?"

  "I would have."

  Easton laughed, shaking his head. "No, you wouldn't. Your Wolf has a ring through your nose and leads you wherever she wants you to go. I know that you helped the Locke family escape. Where are they? If you tell me, I won't kill you."

  Andre rolled his eyes though he wondered just how long Easton would wait before pulling the trigger. "I have no love for the Locke family. Mary is my only concern. If I knew where the Wolves were, I would tell you. All I cared about when I went there was to find Mary and get her out before you went in and killed her for being older than six."

  Easton growled, advancing a step.

  Andre's phone vibrated. His hand twitched towards it automatically. But when Easton tensed, he forced himself to be still again. If it was Julia or worse, Mary, he couldn't let Easton hear their voices. He'd know and he'd kill Andre, and there would be no protecting them.

  "If you've kept Peter Locke alive, I'd like to kill him myself." It was no lie. He did want to kill Peter, even if he would not let himself do it.

  Easton must have sensed the truth in Andre's words because after a second he lowered the gun again. His expression was angry still, but he nodded. "Locke is still alive. He's paying for his sins, though I'm not sure how much longer he'll last. If you hurry, you might have the chance to finish him off yourself."

  Easton pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Andre. Damn. Andre stared at the card. He was not expecting this. Peter was alive and now he had an address to find him. He could imagine Julia's voice in his head, telling him to go rescue her brother.

  He could imagine Mary saying the same thing.

  "So this is where he's being held?"

  "Yes. I hope you find peace after you've killed him." Easton pocketed his gun and turned to the door. "I'll be in touch with news if we find other Wolves."

  Andre frowned and followed after him to the apartment door. "How?"

  "I have your number." Easton didn't turn around as he walked away.

  Andre waited a moment after he was gone before bolting for the fire escape. With Easton in the city, Mary had to get out. They could take no chances that the other Bears would find her. Even if she didn't understand why he would be able to tell her husband. Hopefully, the Wolf had enough self-preservation to trust Andre's words.

  It seemed to take forever to climb down the stairs, so Andre jumped the last few flights. He rolled on impact, grunting as the knee Paul Locke had shot protested. Scrambling back to his feet, Andre raced through the alley and down another street until he was at Mary's building.

  Buzzing the intercom brought no response. Was he too late? Had Easton come here before finding him? Andre remembered the call he'd received and scrambled for his cell phone. There was a message from Mary.

  His heart in his throat, imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened, Andre listened to the message.

  "Andre. Hi, this is Mary."

  As if he would ever forget the sound of her voice. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her voice. It was hesitant, uncertain, but not afraid. Easton had not gotten his hands on her.

  "I just wanted to call you. Uh, David and I are going out of the city for the weekend. We're camping. David thinks it'll be a good way to bond. Um… I don't really know what to say. We're just at a gas station now."

  Was she going to tell him to stay far away from her? What would he do if she did?

  "I've got a lot of questions for you, but we'll be out of cell service soon. That's why I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you to think that I was ignoring you." The static sound of a sigh punctuated the silence. "God, I sound like a desperate puppy or something. Maybe I'm completely wrong about this, I mean, I don't remember what our relationship was but I think I can tell we had one… Anyway, we're going up north to a lake. Maybe you should come. I'd like to talk to you and David both."

  Andre glanced over his shoulder as a car drove by. What if Easton had done to him what he had done to Mary? Manipulated him into giving away his prey's location?

  "I know I shouldn't be telling you this when David wants to have a getaway with the two of us. But I don't think I can really… I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying."

  She told him how to get to their campsite and hung up. Andre stood frozen a moment. If Easton had followed him here, Mary and David could not return to their apartment. So he had to go and warn them, help them get far, far away from here. If he left now, he could get to Mary by morning.

  The phone in his hand rang again. Andre didn't recognize the number.

  "Hello?"

  "The thing is, I could have killed you." Easton's voice, cold and cruel, came from the other end of the phone. "But you took away my victory and helped those stinking Werewolves escape justice."

  Andre's hand clenched aro
und the phone.

  "I would have spared her, you know. But I don't forgive traitors. Paul Locke and his father slaughtered my whole family. My two younger brothers weren't even Bears. If I can't have his community, then at least I can have his children."

  "No," Andre gasped. "They're innocent."

  "There is no such thing as an innocent Wolf. Thank you for your help, Andre. With your cellphone records, I know exactly where they are."

  "Mary's not with them," he blurted. His heart pounded in his ears. If Easton didn't know where Mary was, then he still had time to save her.

  "I know that. I also know you're standing outside her new apartment building, but she's not home. I put a tracking device on her car before I came to see you."

  The phone clicked off.

  Andre's hands shook as he dialed Mary's number. It went straight to voicemail. He left a message for David, telling him what happened, then phoned Julia.

  "Get to base B," he told her without preamble. "Destroy all cell phones, do not use credit cards."

  "But—"

  "Your location is compromised. Get out now."

  He hung up and raced to his car. As he peeled away from the sidewalk, the thought occurred to him that it might not be Mary's car that had the tracker on it. After all, hadn't Easton pulled that trick on Mary just two months ago?

  He phoned Mary again and left another message, hoping that they would get somewhere with a signal soon. David would be able to get a new vehicle and take Mary into hiding.

  But in the chance that they would not get the message in time, Andre had to get to them. Not in his car–it was too likely that Easton would be tracking him. Well. It was nighttime. He'd have at least until dawn before somebody noticed theirs had been stolen.

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Why did I tell Andre to come?

  Mary floated in the cool lake water, her eyes closed while the water lapped around her face and the sun warmed her cheeks and nose. The night had been restless. Andre had dominated her dreams. She could still feel the touch of his hand on her skin, the deep tug from within her, building heat in her core. The dreams had woken her shaking with desire. She had reached for him, and when she found that he wasn't lying beside her, her heart almost broke.

  So she had gone to the lake just before dawn and had swum in the frigid waters as the sky turned from black to gray.

  This isn't right.

  Mary left the water, returning to the blue tent that was pitched among a few stunted bushes. Due to the heat and dryness of the summer, there was a fire ban. But David stood near the propane camping stove, cooking hotdogs for breakfast.

  He was such a kind man. He deserved more than what she had been giving him. He deserved to know the truth, whatever that truth might be. "David."

  He glanced up and smiled.

  Some sort of bird let out a trilling call from a nearby tree. It was a small red and black thing. If it wasn't for the accident, would she know what sort of bird it was? David told her that they often went camping. It seemed like the sort of thing that she should know, what kind of bird was native to the area. Or maybe it wasn't even a native species.

  Mary turned her attention back to her husband. She sucked her lip between her teeth, hesitating. "The day before yesterday, I met somebody in a coffee shop that I thought I knew."

  Was it just her imagination, or did the smile on David's face suddenly look forced? "That's a good thing, then. It means your memories—"

  "David."

  He fell silent. She could see in his eyes that he was expecting what she was about to say. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering in her wet bathing suit. Her towel lay nearby, but she didn't reach for it.

  "I think I love him." She forced the words out, not looking at David. "I think I was cheating on you before the accident. The baby… I don't think it's yours."

  The wind rustled the trees and the black and red bird sang again. Mary couldn't bring herself to look at David. The sound and smell of sizzling hotdogs filled the space between them. What a bizarre thing to focus on, but Mary didn't want to think about what David would be feeling. Instead, she wondered if he was going to let the hotdogs burn.

  "Mary." His hand rested on her arm. "Mary, I'm so sorry."

  Her head jerked up. "You're sorry? What are you sorry about? I'm the one who…"

  David shook his head. "No. You didn't cheat on me, Mary."

  "How could you know? The way I feel around him." She pushed her wet auburn hair from her face. "It's so strong. Like I'm orbiting around him, somehow. I know that sounds lame, but nothing these past two months has felt right. And then I saw him and I just knew him. Even though I didn't recognize him, I knew him and it felt right."

  David closed his eyes. He was silent for a long moment, and Mary reached for him, wanting to comfort him. He stepped back out of her embrace.

  "And now you feel guilty about something you have no need to feel guilty about. Mary, you didn't cheat on me because… we're not actually married."

  A rush of relief lifted Mary's heart before she fully understood what he was saying. When the realization hit her, she stepped back, eyes widening. "What are you saying?"

  "It's a long story. It's actually why I wanted to come out here, to tell you. You and I aren't married. We never were. You're pregnant with Andre's child."

  "You know his name. How do you know his name?" Mary's heart started beating faster and she felt a coldness creeping into her body that had nothing to do with her wet skin and the blowing wind. "David?"

  "I don't know what to say."

  "How about the truth?"

  "The truth." He turned off the propane stove. "The truth is that it wasn't an accident that took your memories. It was deliberate. I was placed with you while you adjusted to your new life, and then I was going to go back to where we both came from. I was going to stay a month or two, three tops, just to make sure you could support yourself. Then I was going to tell you that I couldn't handle it anymore and leave."

  Mary stared at him. Even though she felt no love when she looked at him, he had still been the only thing she knew for the past two months! "How could you do that to me? I… You were going to just let me think that you left me and our baby?"

  "I didn't know you were pregnant. Besides, I thought that Andre would find you eventually. Your brother—"

  "Brother? You told me all my family was dead!" She wanted to attack him or run away or break down crying. All the confusion of the past two months. Had somebody done that to her on purpose? And David had been a part of it!

  Andre is coming. I told him where to find us. He'll come and take me away and tell me the truth.

  "I know you're angry, but—"

  A thunderous growl made Mary's head turn. Her whole body went cold and a gasp pushed itself out of her lungs as adrenaline pumped into her blood. A huge bear stalked through the trees. She had never seen anything so big. It was all muscle with gleaming white fur. A huge, angular head swung towards her and black lips pulled back over sharp teeth.

  What was a polar bear doing this far south?

  It started for her and she stood stupidly, frozen to the spot. Her jaw opened to scream when suddenly a wolf leaped from her peripheral vision. The bear turned, swatting at it, but it easily dodged the blow and jumped onto the bear's back, snarling as it tore at the fur on the bear's neck. Cloth clung to the wolf–strips of David's clothes.

  Mary finally found her legs and she ran. The car. The keys were on the dashboard. If she made it there she could get away.

  She heard the bear pursuing and just as she shut the door behind her, the bear slammed into the car. The whole thing rocked, tilting up on two wheels and crashing back down. Mary scrambled for the keys. They had fallen under her seat, just out of reach. The wolf jumped onto the car hood and then onto the bear. It rose on its hind legs, swiping at the wolf, and then threw its weight against the car again. Metal screeched and spider web cracks splintered over the windshield.

 
Mary leaned on the horn. The blaring noise made the polar bear jerk back, but it came for her again, mouth open wide as it tore at the car door. The wolf pounced on it, and the bear flipped it away as though it was nothing more than a nuisance.

  Something huge and brown suddenly barreled into the polar bear, knocking it off its feet. A grizzly. Mary's jaw dropped as the polar bear regained its feet and went after the grizzly. The noise was like two titans clashing. The roars and growls of the two bears seemed to shake the whole world. Muscles bulged, fur went flying and blood splattered everywhere.

  The passenger door opened and Mary screamed. David slid into the car, naked and bleeding.

  "Drive!" he shouted.

  Mary scrambled for the keys and was finally able to grab them. Her hands shook as she started the car. The polar bear turned at the noise. The grizzly dodged in, its mouth closing around the other bear's neck. Mary threw the car into reverse and began pulling away.

  The polar bear roared. It shoved the grizzly off, slamming it into a tree. The tree cracked and fell, and then came crashing down on the grizzly.

  Mary stopped the car, heart in her throat.

  "What are you doing?"

  She ignored David, changing gears. Her foot stomped hard on the gas and the car shot forward. The polar bear was over the grizzly, its back towards them. Mary's hands were suddenly steady, the buzz of acceleration filling her mind, crowding out all other thoughts.

  They hit the bear with a sickening crunch.

  ***

  Andre stumbled to his feet, spasms of pain shooting down his spine to his paws. Easton sprawled on the ground, front paws digging into the earth. His back legs lay useless. Blood gushed from his body, staining his white fur and turning the earth muddy.

  He deserves this pain. Andre pinned the larger bear to the ground and closed his mouth around Easton's throat, biting down until he tasted blood. When his enemy was no longer breathing, he left the body.

  Mary was just exiting the car. Blood trickled down her forehead, but she otherwise looked unharmed.

  Andre repressed his Bear, rushing to her side. "Mary!"