"Is there a problem, Alayna?" He asked, sounding very bored.
"Oh...uh...well…I have something to tell you," she finally spat out after seeing impatience grow on his face.
"And?" he rolled his hand in the air dramatically, wanting her to hurry up already.
"I overheard a conversation... between Gabriel and Gaspard."
Lucas' attention was suddenly grabbed, he faced her fully now, his eyes appealed to have an edge to them, frightening her slightly. "What was said? Tell me Alayna, word for word."
Chapter 28 Terminate
Lucas had developed a plan on how to take care of the arisen
problem as Alayna had began talking of what she had heard Gaspard and Gabriel conversing. He needed to act quickly, swiftly. And if what little information he knew of Gabriel's habits and behavior, he wouldn’t have to wait long to put his newly hatched plan into action. Lucas was not a patient vampire, and nor was he a patient human before he was changed. But when times came such as these, he could push his impatient way's aside, if only for an hour. That’s all he had needed to wait.
After Gaspard had left Gabriel in his room alone, Gabriel knew he had to go somewhere. The talk of his brother and sister in law had hurt him deeply, as if it had opened up a very deep wound in his heart. He had to go back to the house; he just had too. He knew they wouldn’t be there, of course they wouldn’t, how could they? Cedric was a vampire, yes, but he did die. Everything dies; no matter how long it is suppose to live. Even an immortal being has its weakness. And even though Gabriel knew this, he still had to go, as if to tell them, in some way, that their son finally knew, he knew what had happened the truth was spoken.
He crawled out of his bedroom window and down the wall of the castle to the grounds below. He felt foolish for leaving in such a manner, but he didn’t want Gaspard to see him. If he did, he would ask where he was going, and if he could come. No. He had to go alone. Gaspard was suppose to be in his room for the night anyway, so he had run into no trouble as he dashed at full speed towards his brothers old home; oblivious to the prying, scheming eyes that had seen him.
As he neared the street, he slowed his pace to a walk. His nerves had caught up with him. He shook his head as if a dog would shake off water and continued his journey to the broken down door. No one had fixed the house, torn it down or anything else, so it was still in the same burnt down state as it was ten years ago. Gabriel winced at the sight of the burns on the house, how vivid they still looked in his eyes. He could almost see the flames, those horrible, hungry flames. He stopped his slow steps as he neared what use to be the living room. Emotion flooded inside of him as memories formed pictures in front of his eyes as if it was a flash back through time. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, how even of the presence that was approaching behind him; he was too deep in his own thoughts to even care if he had known.
"Such a fool you are. But, I must say, your foolishness sure has come in handy tonight." A calm but deadly voice spoke up in his ear, the hot breath of his stalker brushing his ever cold skin; he’d know that voice anywhere. He jumped slightly, both out of shock, and from his own feeling of stupidity.
"What do you want, Lucas?" he tried to sound calm but the sorrow he was feeling was etched into every word he spoke.
"Oh, nothing really. Just you. Your life to be more precise," Lucas said with a grin on his face as he walked slowly around him until they were face-to-face.
"Please, Lucas, stop being so dramatic all the time. You play around too much," the sorrow still in his voice, but it was slowly being taken over by anger for the vampire in front of him, staring at him in such a way that put him on edge. Lucas had a grin on his face, and a glint in his cold eyes, that was never a good sign.
"Oh? But I’m not playing today Gabriel, not at all. I can’t say I won’t enjoy doing so, but it is after all, strictly business."
"Get out of here, you don’t belong-"
"And neither do you! That is, of course, since you aren’t family of the deceased who lived here."
Gabriel couldn’t help but take a step back, utter disbelief written upon his face. He knew! How could he have known? No, it’s not true, he's just bluffing. There is no way he knew.
"Oh, Gabriel. Poor, poor, Gabriel." Lucas shook his head from side to side slowly in mock pity. "How long you have hid the truth from me, from all of us. It must have been difficult wasn’t it? Like living a lie. It must have tortured you not knowing where your own nephew was all these years. Having helped him escape, saved his very life no doubt, only to lose him for so long. But, no matter, you will soon be reunited with your family once more. Won’t it be nice to see your brother and sister-in-law again? It must feel like an eternity since you seen them die. Such a pity. Don’t worry about the boy, I'll send him to see you and his parents soon enough." Lucas grinned widely at the last line, and before Gabriel could shake the shocked expression from his face, Lucas had kicked him so strongly in the spine that it broke with a loud snap, tossing Gabriel to the ground by the force.
Sadly for Lucas, that is not enough to kill a vampire, but of course, he knew that well enough. He could have ripped him to shreds, but he wanted to send Gabriel away the same way he should have died ten years ago; in flames.
It took time for the spine to mend itself and for the vampire to regain consciousness, so he had plenty of time to douse the house, or what was left of it after the barn fire had caught it, in gasoline and lit it up like a large candle. He would have loved so much to stay and watch the house burn down, to imagine the screams Gabriel would have made, but he had one task left to do and someone was bound to come and put out the fire as soon as the smoke was high enough to see.
Lucky for Lucas, his first appointment hadn’t taken him too long, and the night was fresh as he ran to his final destination. The night was dark, almost blinding to the human eye, as it was a new moon. No moon would brighten the sky tonight, all the more perfect for him and his plan.
Jocelyn had excused herself from dinner, as she had done for the past week. She no longer accepted to eat in the company of her father, not after what he had done. She was hungry, her stomach even told her so as she leaned against the railing of her balcony. But her hunger could wait, it always did until everyone was asleep and she could sneak down to the kitchens to eat in peace.
She peered into the dark blanket that was the night sky, the light coming from her room making a faint glow into the night, its feeble attempt to penetrate the thick darkness of the night's moonless sky. She often missed the moon on these nights. The glowing beauty often transfixed her. Her restless peering was not out of boredom, but out of waiting. Gaspard was sure to come and meet her soon, they had planned on it. But the night was young yet, she would be patient. She let out a sigh, gave one last look to the outside world, and headed back into her room. As she shut the door to her balcony and faced her bed room, she stared in fear at the face that suddenly appeared out of the shadow in the corner of her room.
"Hello, Princess." That came from the grinning face almost scared her more than his own appearance. How she wanted to scream, to scream for someone, anyone, but her voice was suddenly dry; lifeless as she stared at the vampire. She knew he was a vampire, all her time with Gaspard had taught her that much. As his grin widened, such an evil grin it was, she took a step back until her back touched the door. How foolish she felt for being such a coward, but try as she might, she couldn’t muster up any courage, not while this man, this vampire, was in the room. It was as if he was sucking all the bravery out of her, out of the room, leaving nothing left but dread and sorrow.
"I’m happy you haven’t screamed. Yes, anyway." Lucas grinned. "And how perfectly convenient it is for me that it is the night of the new moon. With you unable to change, or any other werewolves in this house for that matter, that makes my task all the more easy, if not a little less fun, but all the same, my job will be done."
"What do you want from me?" She managed to ask, her voice dry and cra
cked with fear.
"Oh, just you in general. I need your pretty little body to lure in a certain someone to me. I’m sure you know who he is, I'm very sure of that my dear."
Jocelyn’s face went pale, all the blood had left her face as he spoke his piece. No, no, not Gaspard! Was all that was running through her mind. She could care less for her own safety; all she cared about was this man wanting to kill him, the vampire she loved so much.
"By your expression I will gather that you do in fact have a guess. Yes, I want Gaspard." He almost laughed.
His hollow, sinister laugh made her flinch, her eyes unblinking as she watched him.
"I won’t help you! I won’t!" She had wanted to shout, but her voice only allowed a croak of words.
"Oh, you don’t have much choice in that, Princess, I’m taking you whether you like it or not."
His grin disappeared leaving his face looking very ghastly as he pulled up some very large chains that Jocelyn hadn’t noticed he was holding. The way they looked, the texture, the very shine in her now dimly lit room.
Silver. Silver chains to bind her with. Her eyes grew wide in horror, and with a sudden tiny burst of courage, she attempted to leave out of the door behind her. But before she could even unlock the door, Lucas had knocked her unconscious and was already wrapping the silver chains around her body. If pure silver is touched to an open werewolf wound, he or she would die a very painful death. But, if there is no open wound and no werewolf blood, the captor will just be rendered helpless and unable to break out of the chains. Lucas grinned at himself, as if he were being congratulated for a job well done. He was about to heave her limp body over his shoulder when a thought hit him. The boy would be sure to come to her tonight. He must leave him a little note. Another perfect addition to his plan.
I have the wolf-girl.
If you want her to still be breathing by dawn, I highly suggest you come to me.
All you need to do is follow the smoke.
Lucas left the note blank. Gaspard was a bright boy. He would know it was him who wrote it. With one last smirk at the note, he took the girl and left the room, balcony door open as if it were a silent alarm of trouble.
Chapter 29 Manipulate
Lucas and the unconscious Jocelyn arrived at the Dautry
house shortly after the flames had begun to die down. After the second fire to engulf this house, not much was left to be seen, but there was still enough to kill and burn the final Dautry still living. Lucas plopped Jocelyn down to soot-covered ground, not bothering to lay her down gently, and began to pace around the house until he found the place he wanted to 'inspect'. He walked around the small, ash filled living area that he had left Gabriel to die in. A flicker of confusion spread over Lucas' face as he eyed everything, breathing in all the scents deeply into his nose. How odd, he thought, I did not expect even the weakling, Gabriel, to burn this quickly. A smirk crossed his face, and I had wanted to show the boy his remains before I sent him to join his precious uncle. Ah well, the girl being held here and the death of his final family member should be enough torture I imagine. He shifted the ash by his shoes thoughtfully, silently wondering if this was Gabriel.
Jocelyn stirred quietly as Lucas began to pace the room. She opened her eyes, opening and closing them a few times to get use to the dim lighting. As soon as she spotted Lucas' tall figure, it all came back to her with a sudden urge to escape from him. Jocelyn attempted to raise her head, but the pain that shot through her neck from where Lucas had hit her hurt terribly, and the silver chains had taken all of her energy, and her hope, away from her. She wasn’t even sure if she could talk as her mouth felt so dry, but she did not want to try least what the vampire would say in return to her. Her heart felt swollen with grief as she thought of Gaspard. What was to happen to him? To them? If only I could warn him, if only it was not the new moon and I was not confined with silver chains, she thought sadly. Many more “if only”s ran through her mind like a virus, poisoning the remainder of her hope into despair. She shut her eyes tightly to stop herself from breaking down, but a single tear escaped the prison of her eyelids and ran down her face into the soot next to her cheek.
At the very moment the sorrow filled drop of tear hit the ground, Lucas turned his attention on her.
"Ah, she is awake." He smiled widely, his fangs peeking out from his growing anticipation. Jocelyn said nothing and only opened her eyes half way as she watched him take a few steps in her direction. She hated the smile he wore. She hated why he was so happy. Why would killing Gaspard make him so happy? A new emotion joined the sorrow in her heart- anger. Her eyes began to prick and burn from the tears that she hadn’t let fall, her throat felt hot with her burning hatred for this man- no, this vampire. The anger that flared in Jocelyn's face only added to Lucas' pleasure.
"Your anger amuses me, I hate that I will no longer be needing you. After all, after I kill Gaspard, what use are you?" Lucas' smile widened at the confusion that creased her brow. "Of course, you do not know, how silly of me to have forgotten. After all, it was I who came up with this clever plan, and it was I who made Gaspard not tell you, and it was also I who had Gaspard trick you into believing he actually loves you!" Lucas let out a loud, horrific laugh at this. "As if he could actually grow to love you truly- you, a werewolf!"
Lucas was enjoying himself greatly. Jocelyn was like a new toy to him. A toy he could play a mind game with until the real gift, Gaspard, would arrive. Oh how he loved that look she wore now after hearing his words, how sad she now looked. Lucas knew very well, of course, that Gaspard did in fact really love Jocelyn, but why couldn’t he bend the truth for his own fun? After all, he had to threaten the girl’s very life just to make sure Gaspard did what he wanted. Yes, Lucas' heart was a cold place (even when it had still been beating) but he still knew when one was loved, and when one was not. A sound suddenly pulled him away from his own sick laughter as Jocelyn tried to speak.
"W…w-what are you talking...about?" she managed to croak out before the pain stopped her words.
"I had Gaspard play with your pretty heart for only one reason, my own desire to have the stronger race to myself! Gaspard never loved you, he was merely a pawn in my plan- just like you, princess," Lucas grinned widely; his eye's sparking in his own enjoyment of hearing of his plan once more, aloud.
"Y-you lie..." she managed to spurt out in a cracked and dry voice.
"Oh, do I now?" Lucas challenged her.
"Yes. Gaspard...he does love me..." Her voice broke as the pain from her throat overwhelmed her, but the pain she now felt in her heart was more unbearable. She wanted more than anything not to believe Lucas' words; and part of her did not. But the other half of her was taken over by a feeling she had never felt before. It felt horrible, like her heart was being broken in two. What if he was not lying? What if Gaspard was using her? Her other half began to fight such thoughts away. This vampire is simply trying to hurt me, and it will not work! I love Gaspard, and I know he loves me. Nothing anyone will ever say can change how we feel! Although she fought to keep the sorrowful thoughts at bay, they still lingered in the background, waiting to be released.
Lucas was beginning to grow bored, and very angry. Jocelyn's feeling of Gaspard’s love for her overpowered Lucas' lie he had wanted to pour into her very veins until she was nothing more than a pit of grief and sorrow before he killed her. And the fact she had ruined his playtime and his happiness for the future death of Gaspard merely added wood to the fire of rage inside of him. He took a few brusque steps towards her, crouching down as he balanced on the heels of his shoes as he bent his face towards her, his face looking slightly distorted in the dim lighting and the look of rage he now wore upon his face. He wound one of his hands through the chains by her chest and yanked her closer to him, her head jerking slightly in the process, until they were face to face and he could see the terror in her eyes clearly in his own fire filled eyes.
"I think we are threw talking now, princess, you have angere
d me. And what a pleasant mood I had been in. One more word from you, and I will melt a few links of these chains that bind you and pour the silver down your throat- then we'll see how well you can talk then," he growled in a low voice barely audible for Jocelyn to hear his threat, "And I know how to play with fire."
Lucas then stood up swiftly, still holding onto to the chained Jocelyn before tossing her to the ground like a child's toy and walking back to the spot he had been standing before. He closed his eyes and opened his ears for the sounds of Gaspard. He couldn’t have been anymore ready to finish off the hyblood.
Chapter 30 Demise
The moment Gaspard had arrived at the Roux Mansion he
could feel something was wrong. And as he climbed up the wall to Jocelyn’s balcony and seen her open door moving slightly in the soft breeze he felt his cold heart drop. He flung himself over the balcony bars and into her dark room. Where was she? Where was Jocelyn? If she were in the mansion, she wouldn’t have left the door open, Gaspard thought desperately making his nerves about the situation quicken to the worse. But it wasn’t until his eyes ran over the slim parchment left upon Jocelyn’s bed that his fear turned to rage as his eyes read the words hungrily. Lucas had been right. Gaspard didn’t need a signature to know who had written the note. Gaspard knew all too well who it was from by the snide words and fancy writing. It took everything inside of Gaspard to stop himself from roaring his rage out loud to the mansion. He crumpled the parchment in his fists, his eyes flaring, his fangs peeking.
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