Draken was the sort of ruler who wouldn't hesitate to kill if his orders were not obeyed. Will had no choice. He had to go back.
He paused in the lobby to make enquiries about flights. He knew the expression on his face must be dreadful from the brief waft of fear that emanated from the girl at the concierge desk when she saw him approaching. He was ready to explode when he learnt the earliest available flight was nearly twenty-four hours away, but he took a deep mental breath, managing to thank the girl politely, leaving her to make the arrangements for him.
Up in his room, he hung out the "Do Not Disturb" sign, closed the curtains and threw himself onto the bed. He closed his eyes, waiting for the storm inside him to pass. Once he was calm again, he lay there thinking. Handing himself over was out of the question. What he needed was a plan.
Chapter 14
Darci was already awake and sitting up when the door to her cell opened, metal grinding against metal with a painful chalkboard screech. The faint glow of candlelight from the corridor was such a change from the pitch black of the room that it made her eyes sting and caused bright colours to dance before them. She eased herself up off the floor and waited against the wall as a figure entered.
"Follow me," a husky female voice said from beneath the drooping hood of a black cloak. "The Master requests your presence at dinner."
Darci wasn't entirely sure that she was happy about the invitation, given that she expected the Master's food of choice was of the liquid variety, but she had no power to resist. This would at least be a chance to scope out her surroundings and perhaps she might even have an opportunity to escape, although she wasn't going to hold her breath.
The woman turned to leave, and Darci followed the billowing cape as it disappeared around the corner. The lighting in the corridors they walked down was restricted to candles, but was still a vast improvement on the darkness of her cell, and she was thankful to be in the light once more, even if her eyes were still protesting the sudden change. They felt sore and tired.
They traversed a maze of corridors, each indistinguishable from another, until they stopped in front of ornate double doors that looked oddly out of place against the bare walls on either side of them.
The doors opened, and Darci found herself ushered inside as they closed again behind her. This room had at least discovered the electric light, although the fittings that hung from the high ceiling were clearly from another era. Huge pillar candles set five apiece on tall wrought iron stands dotted about the room made her think of the boat scene from The Phantom of the Opera musical.
"Miss Madison, I am Draken. Welcome to my humble abode."
The man who approached her looked anything but humble, dressed as he was in a flowing velvet robe that put even Stefan's costume to shame. With the huge puff sleeves and fur trimmings, he looked like a bizarre imitation of Henry VIII.
Had he been human, she would have supposed him to be in his late thirties or early forties from the slight recession of his jet-black hair, but he probably counted his age in centuries rather than decades.
Despite her intentions to the contrary, she couldn't help but recoil as he reached out towards her. The smug smile he offered in response to her involuntary action did not make her feel any better. Still, she tried to keep her expression neutral as he caught her hand and brought it to his lips in a courtly kiss.
"You must be hungry. Come." He encouraged her towards an alcove where a table had been set up.
She had been starving since she had woken from a fitful slumber, and the sight of the trays laden with food was nearly enough to make her utter a joyful sob. But then she remembered whose company she was in and that was enough to quell her appetite for a moment.
He held out one of the chairs for her then settled himself in the seat opposite, watching her with apparent amusement. "Eat. The food is not poisoned. I am sure you understand why I do not partake myself."
Trying not to seem too eager, she looked over the banquet-style set-up, selected a few items and began to eat. She was aware of him watching her and could feel his eyes following her every move, but she kept her own fixed on the plate in front of her until the last scrap of food was gone. Setting down her cutlery, she finally raised her head and met his gaze.
"No matter how many times I see it, the way humans eat still disgusts me," he said with a sneer that marred his otherwise handsome face.
"No more disgusting than your manner of eating is to us, I'm sure." The words left Darci's mouth before she could censor herself, but to her relief, he responded to her quip with laughter.
"You are quite feisty. Most wouldn't dare to speak to me that way. I finally see why he must find you interesting; I could not fathom it before. That brings us nicely to the reason for your visit here. Now that dinner is out of the way, I trust we can discuss business? Good," he continued, not waiting for Darci to answer. "Perhaps you can start by telling me where Will is?"
"I don't know, he left suddenly without telling me where he was going." Darci crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Her heart sang to know that she was telling the truth and that Will was safe from this snake.
"I find that hard to believe, my dear."
"That was you I heard inside my mind earlier, wasn't it? Can't you just read my thoughts and know I am telling the truth?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work quite like that. I can read your current thoughts and implant certain suggestions depending on the strength of the individual mind, but I cannot see memories. It seems like you are telling the truth from what I read in you at this moment, but anyone with a strong enough will could think whatever they wanted to in the short term and I would never know the difference."
"Then it seems we're at a stalemate," Darci suggested.
Draken gave a short laugh and leant back in his chair. "Not entirely. I have sent messages around the world, and it is only a matter of time until your friend learns you are my guest. I have let it be known I will kill you if he refuses to hand himself over."
Darci jumped up out of her chair. "You monster!" Her body shook, and she clenched her hands into fists, nails digging painfully into her palms.
"Calm down, my dear. I am not unreasonable, and I will give him time to come back. It may take him some days to receive my message and make his way back here. For now, I think it best if you continue on here as my guest. However I feel different lodgings might be in order." He clapped his hands, and instantly the doors opened and a cloaked figure entered. "Please see that Miss Madison is installed in the guest bedroom and given suitable attire." He stood, offering her a brief bow. "You will join me again tomorrow night."
"I would rather not," Darci answered curtly, her face hot.
"It was not a request!" Draken looked down his Roman nose at her one last time then marched out of the room.
Chapter 15
Darci sat perched on the end of the four-poster bed, waiting. The velvet drapes were pulled back and through the windowpane, she could see the last faint glow of the sun on the horizon as dusk fell.
After dinner the previous night, she had been moved from her squalid, dark cell to this elegant room. She had been herded inside and the door had closed firmly behind her, followed by the click of a lock.
She had wandered slowly round the room, taking stock of her new surroundings. Every drawer had been empty, every cupboard bare, but a door in the corner of the room had led to a huge tiled bathroom, equipped with towels and mismatched toiletries that had been collected from various hotels, judging by their labels.
Darci had been exhausted, however, the lure of a hot bath had won out. To her joy, the taps spewed warm water when she turned them, and she had left the claw foot tub to fill as she returned to the bedroom to undress.
She had stripped out of her soiled clothes and dropped them onto the floor by the bed, thinking she would wash them in the bath later and leave them to dry while she slept. Stepping into the steaming water had felt like heaven, and she had sunk back, closing her eyes and resti
ng her neck on the rim as she wallowed, enjoying the prickling sensation of the scorching water against her skin.
She must have dozed off, because when she opened her eyes, she found that the water had grown cold and the skin around her fingers had wrinkled, feeling puffy to the touch.
She had dragged herself up and stepped out onto the mat, grabbing a towel from the rail and wrapping it around herself. She had pulled the plug out, drying herself to the sounds of the water gurgling and sloshing away.
After hanging the towel up, she had wandered back into the bedroom to retrieve her clothes. To her dismay, they had not been where she had left them on the floor. Someone had been into the room while she was bathing and taken them. She knew this without a shadow of a doubt, because in the place of her clothing, a dress had been left upon the bed.
The long medieval gown was a startling sea green, the colour highlighted against the crimson of the bed covers. Velvet was set against a taffeta embroidered with a silver and green leaf pattern and featured lacing front and back.
The dress was beautiful, but she hadn't wanted to touch it, hadn't wanted to give Draken the pleasure of her acquiescence. She had looked all around the room, hoping her old clothes had simply been moved. But there had been no sign of them.
Resigned, she had approached the bed and looked again at the gown. She had realised she had no choice but to wear it. She had pulled on the linen shift first and then lifted the heavy velvet. It had taken a few minutes of struggling and swearing until she had eventually squeezed herself into the dress.
The sleeves were long and heavy, weighing her arms down, but the dress did fit perfectly. She had managed to tease most of the knots out of her hair by running her fingers through the still damp strands, easing them apart as she had walked towards the window.
Outside the sun had already been high in the sky, and she had pulled the thick drapes across, blocking out most of the light, before settling down onto the bed. She had known she would have to join that devil for dinner again after night-fall, so she had wanted to try to get at least a few hours sleep before then.
Later, she had woken to find the sun already low on the horizon, and she had flung open the blinds and watched the changing colours as it set. Now night-time blues filled the sky, and she sat waiting, her long sleeves spread out across the bed to take the weight off her arms, her bare feet showing beneath the hem.
Finally, she heard the leaden click as the key turned in the lock and the door opened.
Chapter 16
Dinner had proceeded much as it had the previous night. She had been feeling more refreshed and less hungry, but Draken's questions and her answers had been the same. He had kept his temper this time, leaving her with a bow and a satanic smile, and she had been escorted back to her new room. She had tried to ask about her old clothes but had received only stony silence in response.
She freshened up in the bathroom, splashing the warm water onto her face then turning on the cold tap and cupping her hands so she could drink. Shutting the drapes against the sun, she fell on top of the bed, not bothering to get undressed or climb under the covers.
She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep before she was woken by a sharp pinging sound. Through her sleepy stupor, it took her a moment to ascertain the origin of the noise.
She clambered off the bed and walked to the window, listening through the drape. Another ping, close to her ear, made her take a step back. Her heart was pumping wildly as she pulled open the drape and looked outside.
At first, she could see nothing out of the ordinary, but suddenly a shape appeared at the window and she uttered a cry, jumping backwards. Then she recognised the figure perched precariously on the windowsill.
Will raised a finger to his lips and indicated for her to open the latch. The metal pin was small and cold, stiff from lack of use. Her fingers scrabbled at it, pressing, pulling, cajoling, until she was finally able to wrench it up.
Luckily the window was a decent size and Will had enough space to swing his legs over the ledge and pull himself inside. The moment he was on his feet, he pulled Darci towards him, wrapping his arms around her.
She returned the embrace, burying her head into his chest as his fingers gently stroked her hair. Two sets of conflicting emotions warred within her. She was so relieved to see Will, so happy. She wanted to tell him never to leave her again. At the same time, she wanted to rage at him, send him away, tell him he was mad to come back here and risk capture.
"I'm sorry if I startled you just now," he said at last. "There were several heartbeats within the house, but only one alone and separate from the others. I thought it had to be you, but I couldn't reveal myself until I was completely sure."
"Will, why did you come? If Draken finds you—"
"It's daylight. The vampires are all asleep, and I can deal with any humans we encounter. Darci, I wasn't going to leave you here. I… I love you, and I had to come for you."
"I love you too, Will." The words had barely left her mouth in a breathless gasp before his lips met hers.
Her body trembled as he deepened the kiss, her legs going weak, but his arms supported her, keeping her from falling. His lips were cool yet soft as he trailed kisses down her neck. She could have stayed like that forever, but soon he broke away, planting a final kiss on her forehead.
"We must get out of here. I can't risk taking you with me through the window. Even with my help, the landing could injure you. We'll have to go downstairs and out through the front door. Are you ready?"
Darci nodded, not sure she could trust herself to speak. The kiss had excited her more than she liked to admit, and the thought of leaving here with Will brought on a rush of adrenaline. Still, she feared moving through the house. Even if the vampires were out of action, the other humans would try to stop their escape and could do them harm.
"I will probably have to fight," Will said, giving voice to the worst of her fears. "I want you to keep behind me and do not try to help. I can handle it."
He walked past her towards the door. She stood back, watching as he tested the handle. "Darci, cover your eyes."
She did as he asked, and a few seconds later, there was an almighty crash and the sound of splintering wood. Another crash followed, then another. A couple of splinters flew against her arms, stinging like mosquito bites until she brushed them off. When all fell silent, she opened her eyes.
He'd punched a ragged hole through the thick timber door. Large shards of wood were strewn across the floor of the corridor outside, though others maintained a timorous hold on the frame, jagged teeth sticking out.
"Come on," Will said, stepping through the gap. "I doubt even the soundest of sleepers could have remained dreaming through that. The human guards are probably on their way."
She took his outstretched hands, leaning on him to steady herself as she twisted her body through the decimated doorway, ducking beneath sharp wooden stalactites. She had only taken two steps forward when she found herself tugged backwards. When she looked round, she saw the train of her dress had caught on one of the larger shards. She pulled at it, tugging fiercely, but it would not budge.
"Will!"
Will hurried to her side and grabbed the material, ripping it clear in a single stroke. The bottom of the skirt came away, freeing up her legs and feet, then he yanked off the two sleeves, the sound of material and stitching tearing loud in her ears.
Now that she could move unhindered, they dashed along the corridor towards the staircase. They were halfway down when Will stopped suddenly and held an arm out to keep her back.
She craned her neck to see past him then wished she hadn't. At the bottom of the stairs stood a group of men, guns at the ready, aimed in their direction. For a long moment, no one moved and no one spoke; an awkward silence hung leaden in the air.
Finally, one of the men took a step forward, clearing his throat. "You are to come with us to await the pleasure of Lord Draken."
Even Darci could hear the qui
ver in the man's voice, and it emboldened her. These guards were all afraid of Will, and that could only be advantageous for their escape.
Will walked down a few steps, drawing closer to the leader of the group. "I thank you for your kind invitation, gentlemen, but I am afraid we have other plans and are unable to acquiesce to your request."
"S… stay back!" the leader warned, as he pulled back the slide and cocked his semi-automatic. He pointed the barrel at Will who continued to advance down the stairs.
"Darci, get down and keep low," Will said as she started to follow him. She did as he said, crouching down on the stairs, making herself as small as possible.
"I said, stay back!"
The first shot rang out as Will reached the final step. Darci had to cover her ears as multiple gunshots echoed around the corridor. One stray bullet hit the step above her head, and she ducked down farther, squeezing her eyes shut.
She didn't realise it was over until Will grasped her arm, pulling her up. Her ears were still ringing as she stumbled forward. At the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and stared. The men all lay prone on the ground, quiet and unmoving.
"Do not worry, they will all live," Will assured her as he inched her towards the door. "Though killing them might have been the more merciful thing. I don't suppose Draken will be happy with them when he wakes up. Perhaps they'll have the sense to run when they come to."
Will yanked open the front door, and they darted out. Darci stumbled. The gravel cut into the soles of her bare feet as she ran, each step bringing fresh pain. She clenched her teeth, biting back a whimper. It was a relief when Will scooped her up into his arms, barely breaking stride as he hurried them away from the house.
Chapter 17
They passed swiftly through trees and scrub, moving at such speeds that the world around Darci began to blur and she was forced to shut her eyes against the dizziness making her stomach turn.
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