Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Shit!” one of them yelled.

  I pulled my stake out and rushed around the corner at them. The taller one was bent over, heaving, while the other had his back to the wall and was waving his hand in front of his face. I moved in front of the tall one and slammed my knee into his face. He staggered back. I jammed the stake toward his chest, but he pushed it aside with his arm. The other grabbed me from behind and threw me into the wall. My back exploded in pain, and I tumbled to the ground. The taller vampire pounced. I rolled out of the way and came up in a crouch with my dagger raised. They moved closer cautiously. Strange. Neither seemed willing to pull their guns. Were they actually worried about attracting attention?

  The shorter one moved behind the dumpster and shoved it toward me. It came flying at me with the screech of metal against concrete. I dove to the side and right into the tall vampire. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. I struggled against him as my feet lifted off the ground, my breath coming in ragged gasps. He sank his fangs in my neck, and I screamed. A burning sensation raced through my veins and my head began to spin. A chill crept though my skin and down my bones. I had to get free, but I couldn’t get my arms to move.

  “Hey, lay off man. They said not to hurt her too much,” the shorter one said. “Ms. Benson’s gonna be pissed if you eat her.”

  The taller one pulled away with a satisfied gulp. Now that his teeth were out of me, the chill receded and feeling returned to my fingers. I flipped the knife around in my hand and buried it in his arm. He screamed, and his grip loosened enough for me to squirm out. I landed on my feet, spun around, and jammed the stake into his heart. The vampire vanished into fading shadow and cold. I turned and hopped away before the shorter one could attack. Not that I needed to worry. His mouth hung agape in surprise at the death of his partner. His eyes narrowed, and he hissed at me, baring his fangs.

  I snorted. “Really? You’re going the cliché route now?”

  His sneer turned into a grin as he glanced behind me. I spun, but I was too late. A giant meaty hand encircled my arm. He loomed over me, thicker than both the tall vampire and short vampire put together. He wasn’t fat though, it was all hard muscle and a barrel chest. His grin spread across his craggy face.

  “She’s a fighter, eh?” He didn’t take his eyes off of me.

  “She just killed Charlie,” the short one said with a whine to his tone.

  “He was sloppy.”

  I brought my knife up to stab him in his eye. He caught my arm and twisted. A snap reverberated through the alley, followed by my scream. He swung me around and sent me stumbling into the brick building. My now broken arm slammed into the wall and sent a shot of white hot throbbing through me. I panted, swallowing the rising nausea. The walking mountain approached me with a swagger. No man should be that big.

  The world went grey, and I gasped when I saw the true form. There should have been a shadow, a thing with no soul, but there wasn’t. Instead, a giant, green gorilla approached me, using his elongated arms to propel him forward. I was up against a demon possessed vampire. This night just couldn’t get any better.

  I ducked from his grab and danced around him. No way in all Seven Thrones of Hell would I let him trap me with my back against the wall. I swallowed hard and forced the pain into a tiny part in the back of my mind. I had to somehow get in close enough to stake him while avoiding those giant arms.

  The short vampire hovered in my peripheral, trying to get a good shot in. I stepped back to the intersection so I could have a good view of both. The giant roared and charged me. I ducked, but the other one leapt in my path and tackled my legs. My hands scraped against the concrete, and the stake slipped from my grasp. The force jarred my broken arm, sending rivets of agony through it. The demon stopped from a full run, grabbed me by my hair, and slammed my face into the concrete.

  White light burst in my eyes. I groaned and brought my hand to the place where he had me. I tried to pry his fingers apart, but his grip was an iron vise. I jerked my head forward, and a sting spread across the back of my head as some of my hair was ripped out. It still wasn’t enough. He had too much.

  “You’re only hurtin’ yourself, girlie,” he said.

  He slammed me against the ground again. Blood welled up in the cuts the street left on my forehead. My nose broke under the pressure. I panted and pulled harder at my hair. I had to get away. I couldn’t be trapped. Trapped meant a continuous death, lost in darkness and cold.

  He sighed and yanked me toward him. I slammed into the back of his chest, sandwiched by his huge bicep. One hand came over my mouth and nose, blocking all air. I slammed my fists against him, ignoring the agony to my broken arm. My eyes fluttered, and a floating sensation came over me.

  My body went limp, and I fell into oblivion.

  Chapter 34

  PAIN PULLED ME from the depths of unconsciousness. It came to me even before the light. My arm throbbed in a constant ebb and flow, eliciting a groan from my lips. I blinked at the grey steel ceiling that greeted me. That wasn’t right. I should have been dead. Instead, I lay in a barren prison with my right arm held to my chest in a sling.

  I sat up, scanning my surroundings. A plain gray room surrounded me, and the walls were as bare as the metal slab I lay on. Chains jangled as I moved, and a cold weight shifted on my wrist, keeping me trapped within a few feet from the wall. The rough material of the white gown I’d been dressed in rubbed against my skin and looked more like a sack than and actual gown. My head and neck were bandaged. Whoever my captors were, they wanted me in good condition. My laugh bounced off the walls of my prison. Who was I kidding? I knew full well who had me.

  As if on cue, the door slid open, and two large men in charcoal gray suits stepped in. They moved to each side of the door and pressed their backs to the wall. Raina’s heels clacked against the floor as she walked through the door. She stopped a few feet from me and crossed her arms, her gaze traveling over me with a cold inspection.

  “You don’t look like much,” she said. “It’s hard to believe that you’re some bogeyman of demons.”

  “It helps to look inconsequential.” My hoarse voice betrayed the confidence I was trying to convey. I glanced at the door. Maybe I could break my thumb, slip the cuffs, and make a run for it. No, it would never work.

  She gave a sharp bark of a laugh. “Well, we’ll see about that. I have a few questions, and you are going to answer them.”

  “Am I?”

  She waved her hand, and her goon on the right moved forward. He drove his fist into my solar plexus. I crumpled on the metal bed with my good arm wrapping around my stomach. My shoulder screamed, but it was nothing compared the wave of sickness and woe that arose in my abdomen. I gasped, chocking on my own saliva. So, this how things were going to be.

  “Now, how do you know Adrian Van Helsing?” Raina asked.

  I coughed. “I don’t.”

  The goon yanked me up into a sitting position by my shoulders and kept me in a vice like grip. Raina stepped in front of me. Her hand gripped my chin and she dragged my gaze to her. Her eyes were a pale green, like frost on leaves.

  “I can make you beg for death,” she said.

  I gave a hoarse laugh. “You’re too late for that threat.”

  A cruel smiled formed on her lips. She dragged her nails across my cheek, leaving four wet gaps in my flesh. She turned from me. “Restrain her to the table and bring me my tools.”

  The goon slammed me on the table hard enough that my head bounced, sending waves of dizziness. He pulled leather straps from the bottom of the slab and pulled them across my chest, waist, and legs. My arms were forced above my head, sending screaming agony through my broken bones. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I struggled against my bonds. Raina loomed over me and pressed me down against the table with one hand on my chest. Light from the ceiling reflected off something metal in her hand.

  “So, once again, tell me of your relationship to Adrian Van Helsing.�
��

  “What is your relationship with him?” I asked. “You seem a bit obsessed.”

  A sharp sting began on my collarbone and traveled down my chest. My body became a conduit of pain. Tears pricked my eyes, and Raina blurred to an indistinct form above me. My throat went dry as the present meshed with the past. The lights dimmed to a soft yellow, and I could almost smell the mix of candle wax and piss. The figure above me spoke in harsh syllables, always with their questions. The church had claimed I’d killed my own husband and child.

  “I’m not a heretic,” I whispered.

  “No, no. I need you to focus.”

  Cold water splashed on my face, and I gasped, fighting against my restraints. Raina held a jug in her hand as she scowled down at me I lay back with a cough and closed my eyes. I needed to send my mind someplace different. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t survive this.

  “Where is Adrian?” she asked.

  I breathed in, counting to ten, and breathed out. I conjured the sound of the sea in my ears. I could see the diamonds in the night sky as I stood with my feet buried in the sand. The waves crashed against the shore with a hiss, and the wind carried the salty mist against my face. I hummed a tune while I spun in circles and danced across the beach. I stumbled as my body was wracked with a heaving cough and blood sprayed across the white sand, only to be consumed by the ocean.

  “What are you doing?” a man’s voice asked from somewhere in the distance.

  “She is proving difficult.” Raina’s voice brought me back to the metal room and my pain.

  I moaned and squinted at the figure in the doorway. Faust had his hands in his pockets with a frown on his face.

  “Perhaps you should take a break,” he said.

  “I haven’t gotten the information I need,” Raina said. “All this is doing is making me hungry.”

  “I don’t see why you chose this. So much blood is bound to tempt you.”

  “I enjoy it that way.” She brought the knife to her lips.

  I turned my head as another fit of coughing grasped me. Liquid invaded my lungs, sending small bubbles up to burst against my lips. Every breath was a struggle, and the world slipped out of focus again.

  “Damn, it looks like I may have cut too deep,” Raina’s voice echoed.

  “Enough for today,” Faust said. “You can start again fresh tomorrow.”

  The last notes of his voice drifted away and were replaced by a loud buzzing. Everything blended together as the few colors in the room faded to white.

  Chapter 35

  THE WAVES ROCK the sail boat as I lay on the deck, soaking up the sun. The warm rays kiss my upraised face, and I smile. The skirt of my long dress flutters in the strong wind. A woman’s husky chuckle tickles at my ears. I blink in the brightness, trying to focus on the figure that has invaded my private world.

  She leans against the bow of the boat with her golden skin glittering in the sunlight. This isn’t a metaphor. Her skin is actually golden. Her night black hair caresses her shoulders and hips, amplifying her naked glory. A small chain of small purple stones hangs about her waist. She smiled at me with the perfect pouty lips and my own mouth opens in a pant as a heat sweeps through me in places the sun can’t touch. I sit up, running a hand down my neck and collar bone.

  She holds a hand out to me. “Come to me, my daughter. You have suffered long enough.”

  I stand, take two steps toward her, and stop as a chill wind passes over me. I glance up at the sparkling stars. When did it become night? Sirius winks at me from her position in the cosmos. The female before me frowns, and heavy clouds roll in, covering the glittering jewels of the night. The boat rocks as the waves pick up.

  “Careful,” she says. “There is a storm coming.”

  Lightning illuminates the black clouds rolling overhead, and the boat heaves to and fro. I grab the side to catch my balance.

  “How many more storms do you want to endure?” she asks. “Come to me. Mother will protect you.”

  Her hand remains outstretched before me. It would be so easy just to agree. How warm her embrace must be. I could stay wrapped in her arms forever. Her purple eyes hold a promise of all I lost. I could have thousands of children to replace my Marco. Men would adore me, turning their eyes from all others.

  And you would be just like Allegra.

  The thought kills all the remaining heat in my body. No. I wouldn’t become what I hated most. I take another step back so that my legs press against the edges of the boat. She lowers her hand with a long sigh.

  “Why must you be so stubborn, Daughter?” she asks.

  I stare down at the churning depths of the sea before meeting her gaze. “I’m not your daughter.”

  I leap over and let the icy water drag me under.

  * * *

  I GASPED AWAKE and stared at the gray ceiling above me as I tried to catch to first few breaths of air. The coppery stink of blood filled the air. Naamah had visited me, which meant I must have died again. Though Allegra was the demon to curse me, Naamah was the one who constantly tempted me with her honeyed lies. With each death, it grew a little harder to resist her. Someday, I wouldn’t have the strength to do so. I swallowed hard and tried to focus, but my head kept swimming. I drifted into unconsciousness.

  Someone was standing over me. I moved my arm to reach for my sword, but something impeded my movement. That’s right. I was trapped on this metal table. They must have come back with more questions. I blinked up at the figure and found Faust instead of Raina. He ran a finger down the side of my cheek, and I resisted the urge to shudder in revulsion.

  “You still twitch in your sleep. I take it your dreams haven’t gotten any better,” he said softly.

  “What the hell do you know about my dreams?” I glared at him. Who did this demon think he was?

  He chuckled.

  “I know more about you than you think.” He shook his head. “You have really caused a lot of trouble, dear girl. Destroying our warehouses, and our supply. To say Raina is livid is an understatement.”

  I stared at him for several moments. “What? You’re expecting an apology or something, hellspawn?”

  “Oh no. I’d never expect that. I should have been more cautious when I saw you at the conference.” He rubbed a lock of my hair between two fingers. “No matter. We’ll just make more, after we kill your friends.”

  I stiffened. “I’d like to see you try.”

  “Unfortunately, you won’t be here to do so. You see, I contacted Allegra. She’s just dazzled to know that you’re all wrapped up and ready to be delivered for Naamah.”

  A chill ran through me. Oh, Dio. As much as I wanted to find Allegra, this was not the condition I wanted to be in. God only knew what she would have in store for me. Allegra would make Raina’s little interrogation seem like child’s play, and she would do it just for the pleasure of breaking me.

  Faust patted me on the cheek. “I’m sure we’ll get to know each other even more intimately in the future.”

  He walked to the door. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

  I strained against my bonds, but they held tight. The ache in my broken arm reared up, and I fell back against the table. It was no good. I was trapped. I breathed in and calmed my mind. Panic wasn’t going to do me any better than it had when they started the torture.

  “Esais, I need you,” I called out mentally.

  Nothing.

  I swallowed at the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Had they already gotten to them? No, they wouldn’t have questioned me so hard. So, where was Esais? Maybe Raina had something that prevented telepathic communication. They had no way of knowing about Esais’s gift, though. I would just have to keep trying.

  And if you can’t reach him? A small thought floated up. Allegra will come and not even death can save you.

  My mouth went dry. It had been a good long run. Who did I think I was to actually try and win against an entire Throne? As much as I focused on Allegra, Naamah was t
he power that backed her. If only I’d been able to kill Allegra. She was the conduit for this curse keeping me here.

  The door slid open. I stiffened, waiting to see who it was this time. My jaw dropped. It wasn’t Raina with more pain or Allegra with her own brand of torture. It was the sweetest face I’d ever seen.

  Adrian’s.

  Chapter 36

  ADRIAN WALKED TO the table and his lips pressed together in a thin line as his gaze ran over me. “You look like hell.”

  I glared at him. “Less gawking and a little help please.”

  He unbuckled me from the table. “Can you walk?”

  I pushed myself into a sitting position with a groan. I could see why he asked. The entire front of the gown was now red. The blood had darkened and left a sticky congealed mess that caused the fabric to cling to my chest. His frown deepened as he stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. Concern coming from Adrian? I had to look horrible.

  “It looks worse than it is,” I said. “I’m glad I actually reached Esais. I thought something might have happened when I didn’t get a response.”

  Adrian frowned. “Esais didn’t tell me you were here.”

  “But how?”

  “You’ve been gone for two days, ever since running out on Jonah’s meeting,” he said.

  My hoarse laugh echoed off the walls. “I guess you can really lose track of time in here.”

  “I accessed Acesco’s systems and found a reference to you.” He turned to the door, clasping his hands behind his back. “I came to free you.”

  “Alone? Are you insane?” I stood, took a few steps, and the room spun a little. I leaned back on the table with a pant. “She knows about you.”