“You just want to fill your mind with something other than worry for our daughter.” He pushed from the table and held out his hand. “It works perfectly for me.”
***
The streets had changed so much since he’d been out last. As he walked along in his disguise, Chaos was repulsed by the mayhem. He supposed that was what animals did when they weren’t reined in by their master. Fritz had done a miserable job as ruler of his people. Just as soon as Trinity and Basil were taken care of, Chaos was going to begin his original plan of ruling the city.
But first, he needed to look for this so-called child of Basil and Trinity’s. Couldn’t the Dark Mystics have at least given him a little more information on her whereabouts? “She is with the boy who got away. What the hell kind of clue is that?”
A moan in the distance caught his ear and as he followed the sound, he saw a young man lying on the ground. There were ropes attached to his wrists. Curious, he inched forward.
“You need to help me.”
Chaos stood over the young man. “What has happened to you, boy?”
The young man sat up, rubbing his head. “Some guy hit me over the head and tied me up to a bed and was…I don’t know what he was doing, but it involved needles and tubes and there was this woman—she was hot, with eyes so blue they nearly glowed and—”
“What did this woman look like?” He didn’t give a damn about the circumstances of this boy’s dilemma.
“Hot. Long, black hair and, like I said, her eyes were so blue they nearly glowed. Oh, and she was a vampire but she has some kick-ass powers. She sent me here, don’t ask me how but one minute I was on the bed and the next I was here.”
Could it be? “And the gentleman. What did he look like?”
“Curly hair, sort of brown but lighter. Vampire, and his name was…Dudley…no…Dusty, that’s it. Dusty. Jesus, my head hurts.”
Chaos hoisted the boy to his feet by his arm, ignoring the complaints. “Where were you held? Can you take me to the place you saw this woman and boy?”
“I…uh…don’t know. I never saw where he took me after he conked me on the head.”
Why did everything have to be so damn difficult for him? “Can you at least tell me what this place looked like from the inside?”
“Um…” He scratched his head. “It looked like some sort of doctor’s office, lab or some sort of thing.”
“Walk with me.” Dragging the young man along with him, Chaos wondered if it would be too much to ask for something to go his way just once. “Do you recognize anything?”
“Yeah…sure…I was going to this drugstore to get me some food when he hit me.”
What were the odds he was held nearby? Looking around as he walked, Chaos kept his eyes open for a doctor’s office or… “Could it have been a clinic?”
The young man shrugged.
Tossing him aside, leaving him to deal with himself, Chaos hurried to the clinic. Maybe things were finally looking up.
***
He’d heard all about the softness of a woman and how wonderful it felt to have them in your arms, but never did he expect it to feel this good. While Felicity’s head rested on his shoulder as she slept, he held her against his body just enjoying the afterglow of a glorious bout of sex.
He was pretty damn sure he had fallen in love with her.
Stroking a hand over her hair, Dusty enjoyed the moment, wondering if it would be too soon to wake her up and engage in more sex. Maybe he should let her sleep a little longer…yet…he was as hard as a rock.
The sound of metal screeching along the floor had him at full alert. Someone was breaking in, which meant her protection spell was no longer working.
Sliding out from beside Felicity, hoping not to wake her, he grabbed his pants and quickly threw them on. Leaving her asleep, he stepped out of the room and froze to his spot.
“Well, hello there, Destroyer. I hear you have something of mine.”
Before he had a chance to retort Chaos’ hand lashed out, connecting with the right side of his head. He saw stars as he flew through the air to land with a heavy thud on the floor down the hall. The room spun as he attempted to get up. Crawling on his knees, he moved towards the room where Felicity slept. He heard her scream and rushed to the room. He entered to see Chaos punch her in the face and knock her out.
“Leave her alone!” Like an animal, he threw himself at Chaos only to be smacked once more in the head. He flew back, hitting the wall behind him, cracking his head against the concrete. As he slid to the floor, he saw Chaos carrying Felicity from the room.
He fought to keep conscious but lost when the room began to turn black.
He fell face first onto the floor with a thud.
Chapter Twenty-four
He had her! He had her!
Now what the hell was he going to do?
With the girl flung over his shoulder, Chaos looked around frantically. He couldn’t just walk off with her. Destroyer would surely wake soon and come after him. Not that he was much trouble. Still, the boy would slow him down. Also, what if Basil or Trinity were out and about? If they saw he had their child, they would stop at nothing to get her back. He found a car parked across the street and hoped it was in working order. Racing towards it, the girl flopping on his back, Chaos kept his fingers crossed it would run.
Tossing her into the passenger’s seat, he climbed in, saw there were no keys—like he expected there to be any—then crouched over to pull off the case below the steering wheel. Pulling out the wires, he quickly hotwired it. When the car rumbled to a start with ease, he let out a loud cheer.
She moaned. He cringed.
If she woke up, he would surely lose her if what the young boy said was true and she possessed special abilities. Why wouldn’t she, being the daughter of two powerful beings. What he needed was something to keep her asleep.
Spotting the drugstore down the block, he raced in the car to the store. Coming to a stop right in the doorway, he slid out and hurried into the store. He rushed to the aisle he wanted and grabbed several boxes of sleeping aids.
That should do the trick.
Racing back to the car, he was delighted to see she was still asleep. Better safe than sorry, he decided as he ripped open the first package. Popping two pills from the foil, he tilted her head back, pulled her mouth open, and dropped the pills inside. He closed her mouth, pinched off her nose, and waited for her to swallow. When she gagged and swallowed, he released her with a smile.
Now all he had to do was set his plan in motion. For that, he would need some help.
Things were finally looking up.
***
There was a loud ringing that stirred him out of his unconscious state. As Dusty blinked his eyes, he realized the ringing was in his head. Then he felt the pain.
“Oh man…” The room around him swirled and he felt his stomach rise. Knowing anything he did now would result in him tossing his cookies, he leaned his head back and let the dizziness and nausea pass.
Then he remembered how he got in this situation.
Chaos had taken Felicity.
Pushing through the dizziness and nausea, Dusty got to his knees, panting, then his feet. He braced a hand on the wall as the room spun and vowed he would kill Chaos for taking her away.
Staggering from the room, he hurried to the back door and outside. Slipping into the car, he hotwired it, then slammed the door when it rumbled to a start. Though his eyes were blurry, he started himself rolling, desperate to find her.
He knew he needed help and the only people he knew who could do that were her parents. Rolling the windows down in hopes the air would wake him up, Dusty barreled down the road towards the castle.
If Chaos did anything to her… Who was he kidding? Chaos was definitely going to do so
mething to her. That was his character. What Dusty didn’t understand was how Chaos had found him or why he would take Felicity and not Dusty.
With his foot heavy on the gas, he sped down the highway. He wiped the blood that slithered into his eyes and turned into the long driveway that led to the castle. Dusty came to an abrupt halt. Leaving the car idling, he ran to the house. He grabbed the doorknob to open it and felt a sharp jolt of electricity shoot into his body. He went down on his knees, his entire body shaking and his insides doing a funky little ditty. As he jerked about on the wooden porch he saw it open and forced himself to stay awake.
“Dusty?”
“Hhhheeee….toookkkk….hhheeerrr.”
“Get him inside. His head is bleeding.”
He recognized the voice as Trinity’s long before he saw her. When he was hoisted up, it was Basil who carried him into the house. “Cchhhaaos…tookkhherr. Heee tookkk Fffelicity.” Jesus, what had zapped him? He felt as if he’d sucked on a live wire.
“Chaos took Felicity?” Basil bellowed at him, or maybe because Dusty’s head was still throbbing and ringing it just seemed that loud.
“Yes.” He swallowed and was pretty sure he was drooling. “What the hell happened to me? Wwwhy do I fffeel like I was elec-electrocuted?” Barely getting the words out, he rolled to his side and vomited all over the floor.
“Shit! Get a bucket and a cold cloth,” Trinity called out.
“Sorry.” Feeling like something worse than shit, Dusty fell back onto the couch he’d been set on and closed his eyes.
“Tell me what happened.”
He opened his eyes and Basil was right there. He saw the panic and felt the same inside his gut. “I heard someone coming into the clinic and when I got up to see, it was Chaos. He knocked me out, grabbed her, knocked me out again when I got up to fight him. I tried but…damn it, I should have fought harder.” He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
Never.
Cooper came into the room carrying a tray with cloths and a bowl and some other things.
“My goodness. You really took a knock to the head. This may need stitches.”
“Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?” Basil asked as Cooper dabbed at Dusty’s head, wiping away the blood.
Dusty hissed as he responded. “The only place I can think is the warehouse.”
“I’ll call Dante,” Trinity said, rushing from the room.
“I don’t understand why he took her and not me. I’m the one he wanted.” Dusty did his best not to show just how painful it was when Cooper washed off his wounds.
“He wasn’t after you,” Basil supplied, pacing the floor, smoke from his cigarette trailing behind him. “He was after my daughter.”
“Why would he want her?” Dusty hissed.
“It’s a long-standing feud between the three of us. He’s responsible for the darkness and he’s the only thing standing in the way of returning the sun. We’ve been after him for nearly a year now.”
They all jumped as glass crashed.
Cooper pushed Dusty back down when he tried to sit up. Basil ran to the window and, grabbing something from the floor, ran to the door.
“What the hell is going on?” Trinity asked as she rushed into the room.
“Something came through the window. Basil has gone out to see who threw it.”
Dusty couldn’t believe how calm Cooper was. He dabbed at Dusty’s head while explaining calmly what was going on. Dusty wished he knew the guy’s secret because he was a wreck.
“Chaos definitely has her,” Basil growled upon reentering the room.
Pushing Cooper aside, Dusty sat up. “Isn’t that what I said?”
“Yeah, but this gives it more credence.” He held up a cell phone and a piece of paper.
“What does it say?” Trinity ran to his side, worry clear in her voice.
“I have your daughter. I’m willing to negotiate. Her life for both of yours. There’s a phone number with it.”
“Oh, Basil.”
Dusty pushed off the couch.
“You need stitches, young Dusty.”
He waved Cooper off. “What are we going to do to get her back?”
“She’s not at the warehouse.” Trinity sniffled. “I talked with Dante and no one has entered the place since they’ve been there. We have to find her, Basil.”
“We will.” He turned to Dusty. “I don’t want any crap lies from you. Did you and my daughter engage in sex while she was with you?”
Dusty felt his face heat up. “Yes. But what does that have—”
“Did you feed from each other during the act?”
“Yes.” He still didn’t know what that had to do with finding her.
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know…an hour, maybe two?”
“Have you drunk any blood other than hers since?”
“Jesus, why are you wasting time grilling me? It’s time you realized your daughter wants to be with me and that she’s a grown woman and that I would never hurt her. I love her,” he blurted out much to his own surprise.
Basil spoke very softly now. “I know. I ask because if you recently drank from her, you could detect her and since you drank while engaging in sex, the power of her blood inside of you is tenfold. Add in the fact that she is enhanced in her powers, it should be relatively easy for you to find her. I hope.”
“Then tell me how to do it so we can bring her home.” The sooner the better.
“First, we need the rest of the gang here.”
Chapter Twenty-five
She really was a beautiful child. Standing over her, Chaos admired her beauty while she slept. If he was attracted to women, he might consider taking advantage of the naked woman before him. Instead, he draped the blanket up to her neck, then took the chair beside her bed. It would be best to keep an eye on her. He had no idea how long the sleeping pills would work on her.
How was it that Basil and Trinity had a child and he didn’t know about it? How long ago had this happened? Was it before the darkness had come? It didn’t matter. He had her now and if they wanted her back, they had to agree to his terms.
“I sent the message, Chaos, sir.”
Swiveling in his chair, Chaos acknowledged the vampire that entered the room. “Excellent. Now we wait. Who is up for a game of cards?”
***
Dusty paced the floor while Basil explained everything to the others. They’d arrived within a half an hour of Basil calling them, yet Dusty wished they would stop wasting time and go out and look for Felicity already.
He listened halfheartedly to the conversation around him.
“So it’s all set.” Basil stood. “We all go out with Dusty to find her.”
“How exactly are we going to do that?” Dante inquired.
“I’ll get to that after we figure out what Chaos wants. I’m going to call the number and see what he has to say. Is there any way for you to trace it, Jonah?”
“I don’t have that kind of technology and, believe me, if I did, I damn well would be using it.”
“I had to ask. Okay, I’m going to call.”
Dusty turned just as Basil began dialing. “Why are we even wasting time calling him if I can find her myself?”
“We want him to think he has the advantage,” Basil explained.
“If we just go out and find her, he won’t know what’s hit him.”
“We’re going to do that, but I’m not going to lead you all into an ambush. I want to know what he has planned before we go in.”
“Like he’s going to tell you,” Dusty snorted. This was stupid.
“Trust Basil, Dusty.” Cooper laid a hand on his shoulder. “He knows what he’s doing.”
“Fine, do what you think you need to do. Just tell me first how I can find her. I’m done waiting around.”
“I think that’s where I come in. Right?” The pretty redhead whose name he’d forgotten stood up.
“Right.” Basil nodded.
“How the hell is she going to help?” Dusty grumbled.
“Well, first I need a piece of Felicity’s clothing. Something she wore recently would be best,” the redhead spoke up.
“The clothing she was wearing before we…well, they should still be on the floor in the clinic. He took her as she was…naked.”
“WHAT?”
“Calm down, Basil,” Trinity soothed.
“Okay, those would be great.”
“Good, we need to hurry.” Grabbing the redhead, Dusty raced for the door.
***
Dusty wasted no time driving back to the clinic. In the process, he found out the redhead’s name was Starla and she was a witch. The things he was learning since becoming a vampire. She explained why she needed Felicity’s clothes and he didn’t bother to hide his skepticism. But she seemed adamant that it would work, so who was he to deny her that? How his blood sprinkled on one of Felicity’s shirt was going to lead them to the area she was being held was beyond him. Still…he was willing to try.
They entered the clinic to find both Basil and Trinity standing in the waiting area. “How did you—never mind. I’ll grab her clothes.” Though he’d seen it with his own eyes when Felicity had disappeared before him, the whole concept of it baffled him.
Stepping into the room, his gut twisted. They’d had a glorious moment together before everything had gone so wrong. Grabbing her clothes, he hurried from the room. They would have more glorious moments. He was convinced of that.
“Here you go.”
Starla took the clothes from him and, setting the pants on a chair, spread the shirt out onto the floor. “I need something to draw your blood with.”
“I’ll grab a needle from the back.” Wasting no time, he ran to the back and there too his stomach clenched. He’d been performing an experiment on a young man no older than himself. What had he been thinking? Felicity had been right. What he’d been doing to the young man had been very wrong. If being a vampire was so horrible, Dusty decided he would find a way to rid himself of it without using innocent lives.
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 06] Page 16