Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set
Page 21
He stepped closer, his foul tongue sliding out of his mouth. “You are human, I will injure you, and Seth will not abide my touching you.” He said the words, but he still approached me. My fear was making my skin prickle. This had to work.
“What Seth doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and I am not human, I am Madea.” I traced a finger along my breast, watching him. I licked my finger and ran it along a splatter of blood low on my neck, smearing it into the whiteness of my skin.
Thorak watched me, a look of longing on his face. I held out my finger. His eyes met mine.
“Taste,” I said.
His eyes went huge as he closed the large distance that separated us. Grabbing my hand in one of his, he bent to his gnarled knees, then, lowered his mouth. The feeling of thick slime almost gagged me. Oh, my God, this was so gross! Ugh, his slimy tongue slid along my blood-covered finger with a sickening slowness. I shuddered. His scent was a mixture of dead cats and used gym socks.
He sat back, his face showing confusion again. I realized my error about the same time he did.
“This is not your blood.” He began to stand as I uncovered the shears. His eyes were focusing, now that his hunger was falling away. My body acted quicker than my mind and before I knew what I was doing I had the long shears shoved deep into his groin. His scream was deafening, like a thousand pigs being slaughtered at once. My blood went cold as I jumped back, scrambling toward the door. The huge troll fell forward in agony. Black viscous blood oozed onto the floor. I turned and leapt over his huge writhing form and fell into the room. I scrambled, searching frantically around for some sort of door release. All I could find were a jumble of complicated buttons, a cell phone and a huge caliber handgun. I recognized the gun. It was a Clint Eastwood favorite if my TV trivia was accurate, Smith and Wesson was engraved along the barrel.
Super.
I picked it up. Knowing what I had to do. I felt sick, but this was survival. I couldn’t be squeamish. I strode toward the bleeding troll. He was still rolling about on the floor, cupping his slaughtered equipment. I approached, lowering the weapon. I took aim at the creature’s head. Taking a calming breath, I grasped the gun in a strong, two-handed grip. I knew it was going to kick like a son of a bitch and I prepared myself for the jolt. My stance firm, my grip steady, my arms strong, I slowly squeezed the trigger.
Thorak’s head must have been filled with gas because it exploded all over. Pieces of his skull and brains flew in every direction, including all over me. Foul bits of gray matter slid slowly down the walls as I flicked a larger piece off my cheek.
I barely lowered the weapon when Gavyn silently dropped from somewhere above. He landed without a sound.
He stared at me, his eyes taking in the scene. He held his hands up and slowly approached me, “Don’t shoot Grace. Please, I’m on your side.” He moved cautiously, his eyes wide. I could see fear. Funny how a little violence could change a person’s entire attitude. He stepped over Thorak’s now lifeless form. I allowed him to take the gun from my hands. He lifted my arm and tucked the gun gingerly into the waistband of my pants. I guess he felt safer with my finger off the trigger.
“Perhaps you are the woman I thought.” His grin was lopsided, only half of his mouth turned up. He looked a little unsure, but pleased.
I pushed away from him, and quickly approached the locked door. “Now, how do we get this damned thing open?” I said as I inspected the lock.
“It should be no problem.” Gavyn hastily typed in a code and the door clicked open.
I was surprised. “How did you do that?”
He smiled at me. It was such a beautiful smile, it almost made me forget what I was doing.
“I am part of the Council, remember?” He was beaming.
“Oh yeah, how handy,” I beamed back, “so, you’re useful after all.” He frowned a little and we walked through the door. I slid the gun from my pants. I knew it might not kill the vampires, but I felt better holding it just the same. We entered a long hall. It stretched for about twenty feet. The entrance was the only visible door in the room. The walls along the left side of the room were clear glass, with pleated shades on the inside to obscure the view. Chairs were placed in rows, theater style along the length of the hallway. It was an observation hall, and I had a pretty good feeling little kids weren’t performing ballet in there.
The thought sank home. Oh, gross. People came to watch?
What did they do in there?
I looked around, searching for a way into the room. My eyes landed on a set of small buttons. They were recessed and painted to match the wall. I pressed the first one. Our ears were filled with sounds from the room. It was Lucian, he was shouting in Russian. His voice was strong, and very, very pissed.
Then Chloe spoke. She was speaking in Russian as well. Figured as much, the little bitch was multi-lingual! Now I hated her even more than I did before. I held the gun in my right hand and motioned to Gavyn. He nodded and stood off to the side. Eventually, I would hit the correct button and the curtain would be drawn, and I didn’t want them to know I had back up.
I pressed the second button. We were plunged into darkness. The room behind the curtain glowed brilliantly. I ran my fingers along the buttons again, pressing the third one. I watched as the curtains slowly parted. The conversation died and the sound of scrambling ensued.
I raised the gun, taking aim. I held my breath, watching, waiting for the horror to unfold. I gasped. Lucian and Ann were shackled to what looked like hospital gurneys. They were propped up and standing on end. Their hands were bound above their heads and their feet were fastened to the metal at the bottom.
Chloe was nude from the waist up, her white skirt was hitched high up on her skinny thighs and she was leaning onto Lucian’s bare chest. His golden skin was glistening with sweat, his mouth was an angry slash and his eyes were filled with venom as he eyed the tiny vampire.
She obviously couldn’t see her audience. She was putting on a show. I could tell this was a regular occurrence. She seemed to have her motions well-rehearsed. Lucian began glaring at me, or at whomever he thought was sick enough to get a kick out of this, I knew he couldn’t see me any better than the vamps.
Ann was lying with her head pressed against Eden’s chest. She was fully clothed in the same toga type outfit she was wearing the last time I saw her, only this one was blood red.
Eden was petting her cheek. His head was thrown back, I watched him, remembering the look on his brothers face just before he disintegrated. I felt cold again, but this time it was welcome. I smiled, taking aim. I had to wait for just the right moment. One clear shot.
It didn’t take long. Chloe peeled herself off Lucian and approached the window. She ran her hands along her body. She must have thought it was sexy. Personally, I thought it was pathetic.
I held the gun steady, moving my eyes off her for a second to signal to Gavyn that I was ready. My eyes returned to her and I knew then and there that I could kill her and my conscience wouldn’t even ripple. I squeezed the trigger, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
The window shattered, glass flew and Chloe hit the ground. I could hear Ann screaming as the little whore lay bleeding. I took no chances. I wanted her down for good. I jumped through the opening, sending three more shots into her still form. She was down and out, but not ash. God, the world was so unfair!
I felt movement. Eden was rushing towards me, a look of shock and hatred marring his beauty. I braced myself; I had one bullet left, maybe.
Then, like a white knight, Gavyn suddenly appeared. He hit Eden with the force of a cannonball, and the two men fell to the ground in a tornado of flying fists and snapping jaws. I spared them a quick glace and then bolted for Ann.
She stared at me, her eyes wild and rapidly filling with tears. I smiled at her, knowing I looked pretty bad. I was still shirtless and covered in Seth’s blood among other things, courtesy of Thorak. I pulled the pins that held the shackles closed and released her. Giving her a
hug, I ran to Lucian. His eyes were scanning me.
“You’re hurt?” he said. His voice was strong. It soothed me to know they hadn’t broken him yet.
“I’m fine,” I said, relief filling my heart. “This isn’t my blood.”
“Thank God for that,” he sighed as I released him. I pulled the last pin, and soon he was free. He was in a rage. He grabbed the gun from my hands and aimed it at the ball of flying fists.
A shot rang out, before I could stop him. I didn’t have time to tell him that Gavyn was - for the most part - on our side. He was a very good shot. He hit Eden squarely between his eyes. But the shot didn’t blow his brains out; he would heal. Shit!
Gavyn stood, his clothing shredded and blood seeping from several small slashes on his face and neck. He eyed Lucian, then Ann, finally settling his eyes on me.
“We have your companions, now we must move quickly. The Council has no doubt found your injured lover.”
It happened so fast. Lucian grabbed Gavyn’s neck with blinding speed. He almost lifted the startled man off the ground. Gavyn struggled in his grip. Grabbing Lucian’s arm, he managed a calming smile that diffused the anger in Lucian’s eyes, a little. He inhaled, slowly settling Gavyn back on his feet. I hadn’t noticed how wild he looked until that moment. He was breathing hard and clenching his fists over and over. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his angry breaths.
Gavyn cleared his throat, “I meant, Seth, of course. I apologize.” He straightened his tattered shirt, adding, “We all know he was never truly Grace’s lover. But you must get beyond that, my friend. They will be here soon, and believe me, these creatures will not be stopped by that huge cannon.”
I turned to Gavyn. “We have to use the ring! I swear, I‘ll help you, I won’t trick you. I need to get them out of here.” I looked around. We couldn’t go through the Council. It would be suicide.
He looked into my eyes, he seemed to be having some sort of internal conflict. It took several heartbeats before he relented. “Okay, what do we do?”
I explained as quickly as I could. He pulled off his tunic, which I was sure was completely unnecessary. I needed to touch him, not his bare skin. To my immense shame, I was momentarily dazed by the beauty of his golden, radiant skin. I placed my hand on his chest; it was warm and alive. I noted the softness of his skin, and then, as if on cue, the outer room began filling with angry shouts.
I forced my will into the ring, just as the room began to fill with the enraged members of Seth’s fearsome Council.
I looked around. I was scared out of my wits. My eyes were taking in everything. And then, like a fist in my stomach, I was jolted. My eyes, flying from face to horrible face had finally locked onto the deadly, silver gaze of a fully healed and utterly enraged Seth.
He charged toward me, madness in his eyes. He reached for me, just as we were sucked quite violently from the room.
TWENTY NINE
I was spinning. Pressure was building in my ears, threatening to explode. Lights flashed across my vision as noise assaulted me from a thousand different directions at once. The bodies of my friends crashed into me as we randomly spun through the air. The wind slapped at my face, taking my breath away.
I hit the ground, the air slamming from my lungs. I struggled to fill them, but my head burst with shards of pain. Then, mercifully, my mind went blank and the world went dark.
I later woke to the smell of damp forest as my vision became clear. I tried to shake away the remnants of the thick fog hazing my brain. My body felt like a punching bag and my nerves were still on edge. We escaped certain death at Seth’s place, but I had no idea where we were, or if we were any safer.
I shifted my body and sat up. My muscles twitched and cramped as I surveyed the landscape. On my left lay Ann, her body sprawled out. I leaned over. Her breathing was soft and steady. Lucian was about ten feet to my right. His powerful form lay still. His hair fanned out around his head. He resembled a sleeping lion. I sat back on my heels, taking in the beautiful forest. My eyes were still adjusting to the light, and then, as if a thousand-watt light bulb suddenly flicked on above my head, a thought slammed into my slowly waking brain. I stood on shaking legs, my mind racing with one possibility. If Gavyn was still knocked out, I could finally get that goddamned ring back!
“Where are you, Gavyn?” I asked, while scanning the area around my insensible friends. I spun in a circle searching the thick green forest floor. There was no sign of him. If he were still unconscious he must have landed far away. I went to wake Ann. Probably feeling like I did, it was definitely going to take a while before we could get moving. I kneeled, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and spoke into her ear.
“Ann, honey, wake up. We’re safe. We got away. Wake up. ” I shook her shoulder gently, trying to rouse her without causing her anymore pain.
She began to stir, her eyes fluttered for a moment and then opened. She looked lost, then she focused on my face and smiled. I sighed with relief; she was okay. She was whole and free from the monsters. She groaned as she pulled herself into a sitting position, I could totally sympathize.
“Where are we, Gracie?” She sounded so weak. “This place is strange.” She looked around, her hand rubbing at the soreness in her neck. “Where are the guys?” she asked with a frown.
"Lucian’s over there,” I pointed out his sleeping form, “and Gavyn seems to be MIA.”
She looked at me, “He has the ring then. How…?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll have to regale you with it later. Let’s go wake our sleeping prince over there. Then we need to figure out where we are and get moving.”
We helped each other to stand. Poor Ann was still wearing her little toga, and for the first time since this coup began, I realized my feet were still bare. I spent the night walking through shattered glass and Lord knows how many other dangerous surfaces, and not once did I realize that my feet were bare. Good Lord, adrenaline is a powerful thing! Well, now that I was aware, I felt every blade of grass, every piece of squishy moss, every pointy stick. I flinched and cursed with every step as we made our way to Lucian’s side.
He was so still that for a split second, I feared the worst. Then he sighed, and we watched his chest rise and fall with each breath.
“God, Gracie, isn’t he magnificent?” Ann breathed a soft sigh of her own. “When we were locked up together, he tried so hard to reassure me. He kept telling me we’d escape, that we’d be free. He was so convincing, it made me believe. When we were alone, we would make plans. We would go over different scenarios, he had it all worked out. He’s truly a brilliant man.” She ran a delicate hand lovingly along his powerful shoulder.
Oh man, I thought. She’d fallen for him! Why did I feel so shitty about that? Ann was my friend and Lucian was the perfect guy for her. He was a real life knight in shining armor. She deserved him. And he deserved her. I had to stop being so selfish.
I plastered a smile on my face and placed my hand next to hers. “That’s great, Annie, but we need to wake him. Be gentle; I don’t want to startle him. Who knows what he might do.”
The feel of our hands was enough. He moved and turning onto his back, gazed up at us.
“Are you both alright?” he asked, his voice heavy with sleep. “I feel like I’ve been sleeping for days. Where are we?” He looked around, and then turned to me. “Where’s your elf?” His eyes were mocking as they met mine. I flinched.
Wow, was it just me or was there some accusation present in his tone?
“He’s not mine and he’s not an elf, surely.” I said, feeling a little hurt by his sudden hostility. “And I don’t know where he is. I think he must have fallen further away from us. We should try to find him.”
Lucian stood. He appeared to feel pretty good as he wiped the small bits of earth from his body and turned to me.
“I wouldn’t worry, he’ll find us. I mean, you are the only one who can control his new prize.” He folded his arms across his chest. The look he g
ave me was not a friendly one. “You’ve attached yet another man quite securely to your side, haven’t you?” His lip curled as he spoke. “I noticed he isn’t one of the more hideous creatures from the Council. Tell me, did you screen all the potential males before you allowed the ring to be taken?”
Yep. It was accusation. Lucian was pissed. Great, just great!
“That’s not fair, Lucian!” Ann yelled furiously. “Gracie wouldn’t have given anyone the ring on purpose. Can’t you see her? She looks like she’s been to hell and back.” I smiled at Ann; there was a reason we were such good friends.
The speech had no effect on the stubborn man. He stood stone still, arms folded, eyes narrowed.
I growled under my breath. How dare he accuse me of plotting Gavyn’s involvement! I just saved his ass and he has the nerve to be petty!
“I didn’t give him the ring.” I stood, stomping toward him until my face was an inch from his, “He took it off Seth’s unconscious body after I smashed his face in with a marble bust. So sorry, I couldn’t get to it first, but I was a little busy getting all the bones in my shoulder crushed by an enraged vampire! Oh, I know, I should have rushed over and wrestled the thing from Gavyn’s hands, just before I passed out from blood loss! Gee, sorry Lucian, I’ll try harder next time!” I was panting, my tears sliding down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe him. I was so relieved that we were free and all he could think about was that I had bound another man to my side. I spun around. The thought of looking at his face made my fists curl. I started walking. I didn’t care if anyone followed. They were free from the monsters, so I did my part. Now they could go, be happy, be together and not have to worry about being caught up in anymore of my shit!
I was several feet away when Lucian grabbed me. I was spun hard and swallowed in a cage of strong warm arms. “I’m sorry, Grace, so sorry.” His voice was low and rough. “I don’t know what came over me. I was so worried about you, and then when you showed up to free us, I thought you had the ring back. I thought everything was going to be okay. Then you turned to that man, that elf, and begged him to use the ring. It was all I could do not to kill him. I couldn’t believe you allowed that to happen…again. It was too much. But I didn’t know, Grace, and I drew my own conclusions. I’m so sorry.”