Falling back against the wall, Jared reached for her, but she was gone. He blinked and tried to focus, but a crack to the skull mixed with the blood loss made the darkness move in on him fast. He crawled to the wall and took out his cell phone. The contact list was a blur. He hit a random number. The screen flashed “No Signal,” and he blacked out.
GIOVANNA HAD MADE IT BACK TO THE CAR BEFORE her legs gave out and she collapsed on the backseat. She lay there trying to catch her breath. The driver licked over the bite mark on her neck, sealing it. She nodded weakly in gratitude when he was done. He merely nodded and withdrew from the rear of the car to drive back to Absinthe’s estate. Giovanna sat up and took a shaky breath to relax. She watched the homes pass by outside the window. A rustle of fabric caught her attention; she never realized she wasn’t alone.
“Is he dead?” The cold voice slithered across her skin. She squinted to see the woman facing her. She didn’t need the lights to know Absinthe was there awaiting her report. She couldn’t lie to her, even if she wanted to.
“No, Jared lives.” Her mouth thinned into a line. “Why didn’t you tell me what he was? He could have killed me.”
Absinthe moved into the light, placing her glass of chardonnay in the nearest cup holder. Her yellow eyes narrowed on Giovanna. “What do you mean? Bonatelli is human. Are you telling me he’s the one who did this?” She grabbed Giovanna’s chin roughly and snapped her head to the side.
Tears streamed down Giovanna’s face. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the anger radiating from Absinthe. Her voice was barely a whisper when she answered. “Yes, Jared did this. He’s one of your kind. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Absinthe let out a snarled curse and flung Giovanna away from her. She stared out the tinted windows, tapping her manicured nails on the armrest. “I knew he held some kind of power to detect vampires. I never believed he would become one. It’s not heard of for a half breed to transition this late in life. If he was going to change, it should have happened years ago. I hadn’t counted on this. It changes the rules of the game drastically.”
Giovanna shrunk back and rubbed her hands together nervously. “If it’s any consolation, I knocked him out before I left. If he is one of you, when the sun comes up, he’ll be gone.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was killing her to know she had probably murdered the one person she had loved more than anything in the world, and for what? To gain the approval and favor of the bitch sitting across from her. She did lead a sad life.
Absinthe raised a brow. “Is that right? Well, we’ll have to let our little insurance policy know Prince Charming will not be riding in to save her any time soon. She’ll make a good addition to my household. I could always use another blood source; the others tend to get stale quickly.” She lowered the divider between them and the driver. “Back home, and don’t draw any attention on the way. We can’t afford to be stuck out here any longer than we have to.”
The driver glanced up through the rear view mirror and nodded. “As you wish, Highness.”
Twenty
SAM PACED THE LIVING ROOM, WRINGING HER hands. Jared never came home after leaving the hospital, and she was beginning to fear the worst. It wasn’t like him to vanish the way he did. She tried calling him on his cell, but it kept going straight to voicemail. Cold fingers of dread made their way up her spine, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
She summoned Lance, but the shifter was still over an hour away. He may have a chance of hunting Jared down, but only if he wanted to be found. The way he had fallen off her radar made her believe he didn’t. It didn’t do anything for her nerves. She needed to find him. He was going to need her now more than ever. If he would only listen to her.
The moment the sun dipped below the skyline, the front door opened. Sam ran for the foyer. She pulled up short, disappointment crushing her chest. “I thought you were Jared.”
The tall, enigmatic creature with yellow eyes frowned at her. He crossed the floor and laid his hands on her shoulders. “He’s not here? Semiramis, what happened?” His eyes gave off a gentle amber glow, and she collapsed, wrapping her arms around him.
“He left us at the hospital last night. Anna was so sick for so long. She refused to let me heal her. She said it was time for him to know me, the real me. Now I have this feeling I have lost him forever.” She lifted pleading grey eyes up at him. Tears coated her face. “What am I going to do, Zephyr? I can’t lose him, not now. Not after all I’ve done to protect him.”
Zephyr pulled her close, placing his chin on her head. Sobs racked her whole tiny body. “You did what you had to do. No one will ever fault you for protecting him, especially not me. I wouldn’t have helped you otherwise.”
She pounded a fist against his chest. “Then why do I feel like I’m the reason he’s gone? I can’t get a reading on him. Can’t even pick up a vision of where he is. It’s as though he’s fallen off the face of the earth. I’m frightened, Zephyr.” She lifted her gaze to capture his. “I need you to find him. Lance is on his way. The two of you have to find him. Bring him home so I can make him understand why I did what I did. You’ve always been able to reach him. Find my son, Zephyr, please.”
He gave her a curt nod and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “I will return with him, Sam, mark my words, and he will most definitely be in one piece.” Zephyr started to leave, pausing when her hand closed around his arm. “Goddess?”
“I don’t like this, Zephyr. Something is wrong. Be careful.”
He patted her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing her fingertips. “Don’t worry, I will. After I get him back here, we can both beat him senseless for scaring you like this.” He gave her a wink before bowing low and vanishing.
Sam dabbed at her tears and walked back toward the living room. She lowered gracefully onto a couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. She began to rock slowly, her eyes trained on Jared’s picture sitting on the coffee table. “Please keep him safe until Zephyr finds him.”
A LOW GROAN RUMBLED IN HER CHEST. ALEX TRIED to roll her head to the side. Her mouth felt like she’d been chewing on cotton, and she hadn’t had a drink in days. Her throat was scratchy and sore. She willed her hand to rub away the last effects of whatever was weighing her down, but her arms wouldn’t move. Her whole body seemed to be stuck. She opened her eyes slowly. The room was engulfed in darkness. She pulled at the restraints. They tightened with each movement. It wasn’t long before any slack there previously was gone.
She lay in the dark trying to remember how she got here. The last thing she remembered was Tony’s offer for a ride to Chelsea. Then there was a quick stabbing pain in the back of her neck, and her legs buckled. She fell against Tony, her breath expelling in one big whoosh. Tony had drugged her. Unbelievable! She let her guard down because he was Jared’s family. She didn’t listen to Jared or his warnings and here she was. God only knew what the bastard had in mind. He had to be insane.
“Hello? Is there anyone there?” Her voice sounded foreign to her. She felt so tired and weak. All her body wanted to do was black out again, slip into bitter sweet oblivion, but Alex knew better. If she did, Tony -or whoever he was working for- might take advantage of the situation. She had to get some kind of handle on this, and she had to do it now.
Taking a deep breath, Alex closed her eyes and tried to relax. There was one way she knew of to allow her to see her surroundings. She let the events of the last few days’ pool in her gut. Every emotion she felt banded together to create a pain so intense, when she opened her eyes, the golden glow from them illuminated the room. What she saw there made her wish she couldn’t see again.
Heart-stopping fear settled over her. She was surrounded by every known device of torture ever made. To her left, a variety of knives, scissors, hooks and needles were all organized on a table beside the one she was strapped to. This had to be a nightmare, a bad flashback to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street or one of those other slasher flicks.
The only thing missing was the gory star of the show, didn’t matter which, tearing her body to ribbons just for shits and giggles. She couldn’t see this playing out in her favor.
A door somewhere above her prison creaked loudly and Alex immediately doused the light coming from her eyes. Nice to know she had finally gained some control over her nifty little biological feature. Footsteps thudded down the stairs on the other side of the wall on her right. The torches around her flared to life. Alex squinted against the harsh light.
“Help, please help me.” Her voice was a croak. Her tongue darted out to wet her dehydrated lips.
The footsteps came closer and halted just out of her sight range. Alex tried to tilt it back to see who was there, but the strap holding her head down tightened painfully. She whimpered, refusing to make any other sound. Her captor would probably get off on it.
“Well, well, well, Sleeping Beauty finally wakes. Did you sleep well, Alexandra?” The woman’s voice held a hint of an accent. She stopped her struggling. Alex was sure she had heard the woman before, but where?
“Who are you? Where am I? What do you want with me?” Her strength was fading fast. Was her heart slowing down? What the hell was happening?
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. So full of questions, Alexandra. Didn’t you ever hear the term ‘curiosity killed the cat’? Keep probing and you’ll see I don’t respond well to it.” The clicking of heels moved slowly around to her side. The woman’s face appeared above her, a sneer plastered on her lips. Straight blonde hair fell over her shoulder pooling on Alex’s chest.
“You are so much like him, you know, strong and defiant; it’s a shame my pet had to kill him. I would have loved to see him play the hero, even if it ended in his death.”
Alex’s heart pounded against her ribcage. No way was she talking about him. Jared couldn’t be gone. She’d seen him last night in the hospital. He was perfectly fine, alive and well. It couldn’t be Jared.
“What are you talking about?”
The blonde ran a sharp nail along her jaw line, trailing it down the side of her neck.
“You know exactly what I’m saying, don’t you Alex.” She purred in her ear. A shiver shot up Alex’s spine. “Jared, your Knight in shining armor. He won’t be coming to your rescue. By now, he should be nothing more than a spent charcoal briquette.” She laughed, pulling back out of Alex’s view.
A tear formed in the corner of her eye, and Alex blinked it back. She swallowed painfully, wishing for just a drop of water. Her thoughts seemed to be answered; a hand clamped on her jaw and forced it open. The woman squeezed a rag of putrid water down her throat. Alex gagged. She spat out some of the water, only to have her jaws slammed shut and held tightly together. Tears poured from her eyes as she swallowed the filth. When she did, whatever force holding her mouth closed vanished. She moaned, her stomach recoiling violently.
“Why are you doing this to me?” She tried to sound stronger, but her words sounded so far away and pathetic.
“He wanted you, and I just couldn’t allow his happiness. Now he’s gone and you serve no purpose other than being my personal cattle. I fully intend to drain you to the brink of death on a weekly basis.” Like a cat with a saucer of cream, her captor moved to the end of the table grabbing a wine glass. “I can’t see a drop of human blood go to waste. Look familiar, Alexandra? I should hope so; it is yours, after all.”
Alex inhaled sharply. No wonder she felt so weak. How long had they been draining her? She couldn’t have long left.
They were going to kill her.
“No. Not kill you. I’m going to bleed you within an inch of your life before rehydrating you. It’s a slow process; eventually you will become accustomed to it. I’ll throw in a bit of torture and maiming to amuse my pet and myself. She hates you, Alexandra. Did you know? I only mildly dislike you, which is why you still live.” She swirled the contents of the glass and took a languid sip. As soon as her blood touched the woman’s mouth, a wave of recognition flashed in her eyes.
“You….it can’t be. Oh, this is just perfect!” The blonde walked from the table laughing hysterically. “I’ve tasted the blood in your veins before. You half-breed bitch! Does he even know you exist?” She paced the room, tapping her chin with a nail. “Jared is nothing compared to you. This could get another right where I wanted him and it is more beneficial than ridding the world of Jared Bonatelli.”
The woman was insane. No, she missed the stop for insanity. Her train bypassed crazy completely and derailed somewhere near batshit. Alex had no idea what she was talking about. Half-breed, her? Granted, she never knew her real parents, but she couldn’t be what this woman claimed, could she? Alex closed her eyes and let the events of the past few weeks tumble in her brain like a clothes dryer. Everything pointed to the notion there was something going on. Something not quite normal. Hell, her eyes started glowing for no reason. Maybe she needed to rethink a few things.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who do you think I am?” Alex’s voice was a bit stronger, and she felt the cloud in her head begin to lift. However, her stomach was still cramping and doing a somersault. She struggled to turn her head in the direction of chaos personified. She caught another glimpse of the slender blonde; Alex had a flash of a memory from the gala. This woman, her captor, was none other than the Princess Absinthe.
Her brow furrowed. “Does this have something to do with the dress I ruined?” It was the only thing her muddled brain could come up with, as ridiculous as it sounded.
Absinthe spun on her, eyes blazing yellow. “A dress? Are you kidding me? You honestly believe I would go to this length over a piece of expensive fabric? Bitch, please.” Her laughter echoed around the nearly vacant room. “Jared is the reason you’re here. My brother took an interest in you, and I refused to allow any more like him to be born into our world, especially not to lead our Kingdom. And now, you are a means to gain control over the only one who can help me resume my rightful place, your father.”
Twenty-One
“I CAN’T BELIEVE HE CAME ALL THE WAY OUT here. You do realize, last time, he nearly blew my head off, don’t you?”
Lance swung his machete at the vines surrounding the base of the tree house. He had a hell of a time tracking Jared’s scent all the way out here. How did he get into the tree house without marking any twig or branch the whole way? He’d say one thing for the guy, when he didn’t want to be found, he was pretty good at covering his trail. If not for being a shifter with canine abilities, Lance would have never thought to check the woods.
“Too bad he didn’t succeed. Quit your bitching and help me get the ladder free.” Zephyr growled, baring his fangs.
“Oh yeah, threaten the wolf boy. You do know I have my own set of those. You don’t scare me, Z.” Zephyr made a lunge for him, and Lance jumped back. “Okay, point taken. You’re still the big bad vampire, and I’m nothing. Keep it up, and I’ll piss on those leathers of yours when your back is turned.”
Zephyr curled his lip. “Do it, pup, and you’ll find yourself neutered. Can we get this stuff cleared out of here already?”
“Fine.” Lance went back to work only to pause again a few moments later. He observed Zephyr thoughtfully.
“Now what?”
“I was just thinking.”
“You really shouldn’t strain yourself that way. It could be hazardous to your health.”
“Funny. You missed your calling, Zephyr. You really should have been a comedian. Seriously though, why can’t you poof up there and take a look for yourself?”
He raised a brow. “You have got to be kidding me. How did you get to be a Conservator anyway?” Zephyr rubbed his forehead. “I have to be invited in, idiot. This is not considered a public place, believe it or not. And for the record, I’ve never been here before.”
Lance perked up. “So, you need me. Ah hell, this is great. Without me, there’s no way for your sorry ass to get up there to see if Jared is here. I get to be the test dummy and then
invite you. Wonderful. He'd better not have another gun hidden up there. My blood will be on your hands.”
“Will you stop being such a pain in the ass, already?”
“Hey! I resent that. It’s in my blood. I can’t change it.” Lance pulled down the last vine and put his foot on the bottom rung. “Well what do you know, it’s still solid.” Zephyr glared. Lance put his hands up in surrender. “All right, I’m going.”
Zephyr watched from the ground. Lance picked his way up the ladder, a lantern firmly clamped in his teeth. He reached the top and disappeared inside. A muffled curse drifted down from the tree house. Lance peeked out the window, holding the light high above his head, his face grim. “Z, you better get your ass up here. It ain’t pretty.”
Well, he had his invitation, didn’t he?
Zephyr materialized inside the doorway of the tree house and was immediately appalled at what he saw. In all his years leading the Dark Order’s army, he had never witnessed the unnecessary bloodshed he found here. Carefully, he skirted the dry pool of blood in the center of the room and picked up a dagger from the floor. He examined it in the dim light and licked the blade. He made a face. Gamey. It was Jared’s blood. Who would have been stupid enough to leave their weapon?
Jared was curled into the fetal position against the far wall. Lance crouched over him. His fingers probed Jared for a pulse on his neck.
“He’s alive, but barely. You need to see this, Z.”
Lance lifted his upper lip with a fingertip, exposing a long canine protruding from Jared’s gum. “Now s’plain to me, Lucy, why you never told me Jared could become one of you? Need-to-know information, don’t you think? What if one night he decided to have a Scooby Snack?” Lance sat back on his haunches. Jared moaned and hugged his legs tighter to his chest.
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