"What do you mean?"
"They think you’re a traitor. The Master told the vampires to kill you if they find you. He thinks you’re working with the hunters."
"No," she laughed nervously as she took a drink from the glass of water nearby. "Christian would never do that to me. He—"
"Look at this." Zak reached into his white coat and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his pictures before finding the right one. "Does this look like your faithful husband?" On the screen, Christian was kissing another woman. He wasn’t wearing his wedding band, something he hadn’t taken off since their wedding day.
"What—" Addison tried to get a closer look, but Zak quickly pulled it away. "No, he wouldn’t…he…" Her eyes filled with tears as she quickly turned her large diamond wedding ring around her finger several times. "He loves me."
"Loved you." Zak placed a warm hand on Addison’s knee, a thick blanket keeping them apart. "He’s shunned you from the family for trying to become human. It’s a sin against him, taking away the so-called gift he gave you. You can’t go back. Staying with me is your only choice now."
"So I can’t go home? Ever?" Addison voice was low, "Christian…he…wouldn’t—"
"This is not going to be easy, Addison. You have a lot to learn, but first, you must erase Master Vallore from your mind." Zak sighed, staring down at the bruises on Addison’s hands from the IV. She was definitely human again. "If you don’t, they’ll kill you. Might even torture you for it."
"I’m scared." Addison’s voice was shaky, her face now streaming with tears. "All I want to do is go home, Zak. Please…please don’t do this to me. Let me go home. Christian won’t hurt me. I know he won’t. I need him. I—"
"You can never go back."
"I don’t believe you." Crossing her arms over her chest, Addison put her nose high into the air as she turned her head to the side. "You’re lying."
"No matter how much you wish it, the Master will never let you come home." He watched a few tears fall down her cheeks, Addison quickly wiping them away. "And because you’re so stubborn, I’m requiring you to complete some therapy before you’re released."
"Therapy?" Looking at him blankly, Addison raised her voice slightly, "I’m not crazy Zak!"
"I know you’re not." Zak’s stare met with hers, a reluctant expression filling his features. "But you have a great dependency on the Master, and he has skewed your way of thinking. You need to get your head on straight before you can move on. This will be good for you."
"Good? This is not good…"
Chapter Six
Forget You
Sitting in Dr. Anderson’s office, Addison fidgeted nervously with her wedding ring. Today was her fourth week of therapy, and she was trying her best to say and do what she thought they wanted. As soon as she was released, she was going to run straight back to Christian.
"Hello, Jessica." Dr. Anderson walked over to her, extending his hand in greeting. Addison reluctantly shook it. He could see the annoyance on her face when he called her by Jessica instead of her real name. "So, shall we begin?" He opened a folder and took out some photographs, setting them down in perfect rows on his desk.
"What’s that?"
"Because you’re an artist, I thought some visual props would be an easy way to get you to understand the points we’ve been talking about the past few weeks."
"But I thought I was doing fine." Biting her lip, Addison twirled her ring.
"Fine?" He glanced down at her ring with a slightly exasperated expression. "No," he laughed. "You may think you’re a good little liar, but I can see you through your act. You’re not even trying to change your ways."
"I am too." Sticking her nose in the air, Addison looked away from him and toward the window.
"I want to show you something." Dr. Anderson sat down behind his desk and motioned her closer. "Look at this lovely display my hunter friends have put together for you."
"Okay." Uncertainly, Addison inched nearer. Her heart sank when she saw the pictures, her hands quickly going over her mouth. "No…" Shaking her head, she grabbed one and held it closer. "Where’d you get these?" The image was of Christian and Amanda.
It was not an ordinary photo. Amanda was on her knees performing a not-so-innocent act on Christian at the club. Her voice cracked, and she began to cry, her fingers tightening around it. "Amanda? Really? God damn it, Christian!"
Addison threw it back on the table and turned from the countless others there. She looked away from Dr. Anderson as she wiped at a few tears.
"The Master is a hit with the ladies, isn’t he? Hmm…let me see…" Dr. Anderson picked up a few photographs from the desk, placing them in a neat stack. "Here’s Nicolette and Victoria. Friends of yours, right?" A small chuckle escaped his lips as Addison’s red-eyed stare fell on his face and not the lewd pictures in his hand, "Lucky guy, looks like a group session in this one."
Addison glanced briefly at the glossy photo then turned up her nose and tried to hide the intense anger overflowing inside her. "Here’s Delilah. And Nicolette again. Ahhh…" He flipped rapidly through each one, tossing them one on top of the other, "And here’s Emmie. Katrina. Sarah. Mia."
"Stop!" Addison slammed her tightly closed fist down on the stack of pictures, making some of the things on his desk bounce. Her voice came out as a shrill yell, her breathing heavy as she gritted her teeth. "I don’t want to—"
Dr. Anderson continued despite Addison’s outburst, "Heather…"
Addison began to sob, falling into her chair in a defeated slump. She couldn’t find her voice, but a few high-pitched gasps escaping her lips. Her tears made her vision blurry and spared her from seeing the woman’s faces, but she could still see the color of their bare skin.
After a few minutes of torture, Dr. Anderson let her calm down before he started the next part of their session. "You deserve better, Addison. He was doing this all behind your back and with your friends as well. How can you trust such a man? He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love anyone but himself."
He studied the distant look in Addison’s eyes as she gazed out the window, her face smeared with black mascara that had now dried around her eyes. Her lashes were still wet and a few tears would periodically fall down her cheeks. "This isn’t the kind of man you deserve."
Addison didn’t answer, she just looked down at her hands.
"You are great person Addison." Dr. Anderson smiled, happy that he had finally found the weakness in the Vallores’ tight bond. "You need to realize how bad the Master is for you. He’s blinded you with his fancy words and promises of love. He doesn’t mean a word of it. He’s done this with countless women before you. You’re no different. You’re his pawn, never his equal. He doesn’t love you…"
* * * *
Josh stood behind the other vampires who were watching Christian interrogate the hunters. They were in the basement, the hunters chained to the walls of the medieval-looking room. Christian had been raging ever since the disappearance of his wife, making life miserable for everyone around him.
His only thoughts were of finding the hunter who had killed or kidnapped her, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found out what happened to her. Being around him was like following a rabid dog, as Christian lashed out at everyone, even his best friend Darien.
Christian grabbed one of the hunters by his hair, screaming into his face, "Where is Mistress Vallore!"
"I don’t know!" His words were a pained shout.
Using the knife in his hand, Christian reached up to the man’s face and cut off one of his ears. He screamed out in agony, blood dripping down his neck.
"Tell me what you know!"
"I don’t know anything!"
Gritting his teeth, Christian sliced the man’s neck and blood rushed from the wound, covering his crisp black suit. Then, he moved onto the next hunter, repeating the process.
Josh turned his head from the sight of the torture, trying not to let the other vampires see his weakness. There
were a few new faces, more elites that Christian had recruited. They were stronger and faster than Josh, and he was quickly deemed the omega of the vampire pack.
After licking the blood off his fingers, Christian walked over to another hunter, placing his hands on either side of the man’s head as he leaned in close. The hunter cowered, his teeth chattering loudly as he tried to avoid the icy stare of the Master vampire.
"Where is Mistress Vallore?" Christian’s tone had softened, his chest rising and falling slower than before. He was down to the last two hunters, and his hope of finding an answer was dwindling.
"I don’t know…" Swallowing hard, the hunter’s terrified stare focused on the blade in Christian’s hand, the shiny metal sparkling slightly under the light above them. "But…" Trying to catch his breath so he could speak, the hunter’s eyes wandered back up to Christian’s. "I may…know…" He choked out his words, "Something…that…could…help…you."
"Oh?" An evil smile filled Christian’s face, giving the hunter a better view of his murderous fangs. "What is it?"
Swallowing hard again, the man licked his lips nervously, "There’s a hospital somewhere in Pargon where they do experiments on…" His bottom lip trembled furiously as he squeezed out the last word, "Vampires."
"Experiments?" Christian pushed himself away from the wall, glancing briefly at Darien, who was now standing next to him. "What kind of experiments?"
"I’m not sure." Letting out a small sigh of relief now that Christian wasn’t so close to him, the hunter’s nervous eyes looked to him and then Darien. "All I know is that they pay us to bring vampires there. They only take elites."
"Where?" Christian handed his knife to Darien before crossing his arms firmly over his chest.
The hunter pulled at the chains that bound his hands. "If I tell you, will you release me?"
"Of course." A sinister chuckle escaped Christian’s lips, a calm smile washing over his features. "So, tell me where it is."
"The holy city…but that’s all I know."
"That’s all you know?" Christian took the blade back from Darien, taking a few slow steps toward the hunter. "Are you sure?"
"Y-y-yes, Master Vallore."
"Come now." Christian laughed as he lightly let the blade rest on the hunter’s cheek. "There must be something else you can tell me."
"I don’t know…" The hunter winced when he felt the tip pierce his skin, and Christian’s smile grew wider. "Anything."
"Really?" Christian pushed harder, dragging the blade across flesh. His voice could hardly be heard over the screams. "What else do you know?"
Tears fell quickly down the hunter’s face as he gasped, his own blood entering his mouth. "That’s all I know!"
In one quick motion, Christian sliced the hunter’s neck, stepping away as he bled out. He wiped his face, smearing some on the sleeve of his suit coat. "Darien."
"Yes, Master?"
"Go to Pargon and investigate this claim. When I am finished with my business here, I will join you."
"Yes, Master." Darien nodded then looked over at Josh, "Can I take the boy as well?"
"Yes." Breathing heavily as his anger mounted again, Christian glanced at Josh. "But watch him. I promised Addison I would keep him safe."
* * * *
Another month had gone by, and after a lot of therapy and scare tactics, Addison was finally released from the hospital. Her first goal was to find a way to Jenson to see Zak, who was supporting her financially until she could do so on her own.
She was now supposed to be living as Jessica Hershey. She had changed her hair and her new diet she had caused her to fill out, her new look making her almost unrecognizable to the untrained eye. She had filled out, especially in her stomach, something she thought was due to her rekindled love of junk food.
She still wore her wedding ring and refused to get rid of it like her doctor suggested. She was still very much in love with Christian, and though she realized he was bad for her and that his controlling ways weren’t normal, she could never let him go.
Besides convincing Addison that Christian was being unfaithful, her doctor also persuaded her that she was shunned by the vampires and scared her away from going back by saying they would torture her for leaving the family. Addison had seen a lot of that through the years she had been with Christian, and the thought terrified her.
She took a plane to Jenson, the feeling of independence like a breath of fresh air. She felt relaxed. Now standing at the door of Zak’s apartment, Addison held her single bag of clothes that she had brought with her from the hospital.
The walk up to the apartment had been a little tense. For the first time in weeks, she had been reminded of what she desperately wanted to forget. That she was alone now, and she’d never see her family or Christian ever again.
Swallowing hard, she looked down the hall at the hunters, who were staring at her. None of them seemed to recognize her, all of them eyeing her suspiciously. She rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered. Five minutes went by, and she decided to give up and come back later.
"Hey." One of the hunters got up from his chair and smiled at her. "Are you looking for Monroe?"
"Yeah." Addison nodded, holding her bag firmly in both hands as she stood behind it. "Do you know where he is?"
"He should be coming home soon." He motioned for her to sit down in his abandoned seat. "Let me give him a call for you."
"Thanks." Addison nodded, a nervousness in her tone. Even though she was no longer a vampire, the sight of a hunter still frightened her.
"Hey, Monroe." The hunter laughed as he spoke to Zak on the phone, "There’s a pretty little lady out here looking for you…ha ha yeah…yeah." He handed Addison his cell, "He wants to talk to you."
"Hello?"
"So, they finally let you out, eh?" Zak chuckled, a friendly tone to his voice.
"Yeah." A small giggle escaped Addison’s lips as she reached up to her face and pulled a piece of her blonde, highlighted hair from her lips. It was layered and was a much straighter style than normal.
"You’re staying at my place right? I have a room set up, and—"
"I’m just staying until I find an apartment of my own. This isn’t permanent, Zak."
"I know, I know." Addison could hear a radio turn off in the background. "I can’t wait to see you. Hey, hand the phone back to Henderson."
"He wants to talk to you." Addison passed Henderson the cell.
"Yeah? Okay. See ya later, Monroe." He hung up and then took a set of keys out of his pocket. "Come on, Zak said to let you in."
"Thanks."
Chapter Seven
Missing You
Addison spent her first night in Jenson at Zak’s before going to her new apartment. She and Zak remained just friends, something Addison demanded and Zak went along with only in hopes that she would soon change her mind. Her life was starting to become normal again, like it was before she met Christian and before her siblings brought her into the world of vampires.
She landed a job as a medical transcriptionist. It was good for her, allowing her to stay home and away from the many distractions of the city. She wasn’t doing as well as she told Zak. She was missing her friends and family and felt very lonely.
One evening, after finishing her work, she decided to take a walk. She stopped in the local library, to pick up a few books. As she looked through them, her hands paused on a familiar title. She quickly pulled it out, opening the cover and leafing through it.
It was one of Christian’s favorites, written in a forgotten language that Addison loved to hear spout from his lips. She couldn’t read it, but she knew what some of it meant, every word reminding her of him.
Her gaze landed on a familiar line, and she read it aloud in a hushed whisper. "My love for you fuels the sun, the light that illuminates all that is beautiful."
"Ah. Balthazar."
Addison quickly shut the book, swallowing hard when she saw an old man standing behind her,
reading over her shoulder.
"Bathed in the light of your love even the darkest of nights will never hide the beauty of your face from my eyes." A calm smile filled his thinning lips as he lightly tapped the cover. "Such a Master of the lover’s tongue Balthazar was. Tell me," he watched Addison run her long artist’s fingers slowly over each line. "How is it a beautiful lady such as yourself can read a forgotten language?"
"I’ve only memorized a few passages. I can’t read it." Walking with him back to the desk, Addison forced a small smile to cover the giant frown that wanted to infect her face. "I love reading it aloud and listening to the words. Aerolin is such a beautiful language."
"You should come meet my son." The old man stroked his long beard. "He’s a lover of Aerolin as well, and he’s single." His white beard looked more like a wizard's than Santa Claus, his cheeks slightly sunken in with his old age. He was shorter than Addison, her tall frame making them look like an odd couple.
"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline." Addison giggled, making sure to silence it with her left hand and show off her wedding ring. "But I would love to meet someone who loves it as much as…" Pausing, Addison held the book tightly to her chest, her lips poised to form Christian’s name, but she couldn’t. Her eyes looked ahead as she tried to fight off the sting of missing him. "I."
"You are a very educated young lady, aren’t you? Where did you learn to read Aerolin?"
Pushing her lips tightly together for a few seconds before forcing a smile, Addison looked back at him. "My father. He used to read from this book every night."
"Really?" The old man let out a hearty chuckle. "But Balthazar wrote about lovers. Are you sure it wasn’t Grazen instead? His fairytales are great classics."
She handed the man at the checkout desk the book and her library card. "No, it was Balthazar."
He smiled at her as he scanned the little sticker on the front. "Balthazar. What a wonderful choice." Then, he preceded to say something in Aerolin that she didn’t understand.
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