by Mia McKimmy
What has that paranoid prick done to these humans? She noticed a solid black band circling his neck and wondered if it contained some type of blocking mechanism.
“Where is the child?” he spat the words like an order. From his heavy Italian accent, she should have known they were somewhere in Italy before Iggy ever told her.
“She went inside the palace to use the…facilities,” Riana told him.
“I did not see her go inside.”
“Well, that’s where she went. Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me,” she said nonchalantly. She hoped if she didn’t act suspicious, he would at least finish his rounds before checking. She pretended to start reading again. After several seconds, he continued on the same path.
Riana listened to his footsteps, relieved he didn’t head straight inside, but it would more than likely be short lived. Vind’s guards always kept close watch outside his palace. Aware if they messed up, it would mean their life.
I am not going to feel sorry for them. They shouldn’t be working for a murdering maniac.
Riana glanced at her watch. It’d been almost an hour since Lily left. If she could stall them for an hour longer, it would give Iggy enough time to hide Lily and make the call for help.
Fifteen minutes passed before she heard footsteps approaching again. The guard walked to where she sat propped against a tree. “Madam, come with me,” he ordered.
“Can you not see that I’m reading?” Riana said between clenched teeth.
“I have searched the grounds, and the girl is not here. Nor did she go past the guard at the door.”
“Maybe she went through a different door.”
“No, she did not. The other doors are locked.”
Riana stood. “It does not take a genius to figure out that if she’s not inside, she’s somewhere on the grounds. I’ll look for her. Sometimes she likes to play hide and seek.” Riana led the guard throughout the garden, behind every shrub and around every tree. When she had wasted every minute possible, she turned to the guard. “You must be wrong, Lily has to be inside,” she said with feigned exasperation.
Riana turned, pushed past the guard and headed toward the castle with him tight on her heels.
As she went through the front door and entered the foyer, the guard said, “I must report this to the commander.”
Riana stopped and regarded him for a moment. “Hold off and let me search upstairs. She’s probably in her room. Besides, are you really that anxious to let him know that you’ve lost a child?” The guard’s mouth opened and then closed. She turned and climbed the massive staircase. His heavy footsteps close behind her echoed against the marble steps.
Fifteen more minutes, that’s all I need, and Lily will be someplace safe.
Once upstairs, Riana went through the rooms, pretending to continue her search. The guard waited at the end of the hall. When she came out of Lily’s room, he shouted, “Madam, you will come with me, now.”
The guard approached Riana, circled her upper arm with his beefy hand and pushed her forward. She glared at him with the threat of violence and jerked from his grip. “Keep your filthy hands off me.” The guard was human, and Riana had no doubt about her ability to take him down. But she wouldn’t resort to violence. Not when he had plenty coming his way when Vind found out Lily was gone.
They reached Vind’s office and the guard knocked.
Riana jumped as Vind’s harsh voice rang out. “Come in.”
As they entered, Vind leaned back in an overly plush chair, behind an equally over the top desk. There wasn’t an inch of wood without intricate carvings. “I suppose this means you have not found the child,” he said to the guard.
“No, sir. The men searched the grounds thoroughly.”
As Vind narrowed his gaze on Riana, she straightened, increasing her height.
“You could avoid all this and tell me where she is. And do not insult my intelligence by denying that you know.”
She raised her chin. “I do not know where she is.”
The phone on Vind’s desk rang. After he answered, his eyes shifted to Riana, his face reddened, and the vein in his forehead began to pulse. He slammed the phone onto the desk. “The guards found a hole leading under the fence, close to where you and she were sitting. I do not like being lied to, Riana,” he seethed. “You will pay for defying me, in more ways than one.”
“You’re only mad that you no longer have her to hold over my head. I don’t care what you do to me. Lily’s safety is all that matters.”
A wickedly, evil smile crossed Vind’s lips. “Oh, she is far from safe. She is dead one way or the other. I will issue an order to terminate her on sight. Although it will be a race as to which happens first—my men killing her, or her being eaten by a wild animal. Regardless, she’s dead. A child her size cannot make it out of these mountains alive.”
Riana couldn’t hide the fact that his words frightened her, because they did. It was his intention. Even though she didn’t send Lily into the mountains alone and totally defenseless, she did put her in a dangerous situation. Whatever the odds, Lily had a better chance of surviving out there than in this place.
Riana’s heart raced as Vind rose from the desk and stalked toward her, a threatening glare fixed on his face. Harsh fingers gouged into her flesh as he grabbed her upper arms and jerked her to him. “Where is the child?” he growled, his face only inches from hers.
“I don’t know!” Riana stared into his black eyes with her own nasty glare.
Vind turned her arms loose and stepped back. A second later, pain erupted on one side of her face. Her head wrenched to the side, and a high pitched ringing took up residence in her ears.
That asshole hit me!
“Do not lie to me, Riana. Now, where is the girl?” he shouted.
A rush of anger flashed through her, pushing out the fear. “Go. Fuck. Yourself,” she said through clenched teeth. She braced for the second blow as Vind’s hand came at her face.
The blow was even harder than the first. She raised her hand and wiped blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Vind’s head snapped toward the guard standing next to the door. “Get her out of here,” he ordered. “Take her to her room and lock the door. I will deal with her later.” He turned back and looked at her. “You will not get out of that room this time.”
Riana glared at Vind with bitter disgust as the guard led her from his office.
Once inside her room Riana went to the bathroom and stared at her throbbing face in the mirror. The right side glowed like a red neon light in the shape of a large hand. Tinges of blue had already surfaced around the edges. She soaked a finger-towel with cold water and applied it to her aching face. The pain was a small price to pay for Lily’s safety. She lay across the bed and prayed Cy and Kyra reached Lily before Vind’s men.
Riana sat up and tossed the towel on the floor as someone rattled keys outside her door. When it opened Ms. Rizzo entered with a scowl across her ugly face. “Madam, I was instructed to take you to the courtyard for a demonstration.”
Riana slung her legs off the bed and stood to match the woman’s height. “I’m not going to watch any demonstration your psychotic boss has in mind.”
The woman curled her lip. “He said you might resist. If you did, he would come to get you himself.” She tilted her head and almost smiled. “Unless you want a matching pair of red cheeks, I suggest you come along.”
Riana sighed, slipped on her shoes and followed the old hag.
Outside the castle entrance was a paved circular drive. A large grassy area inside the circle held a huge three tier fountain with lights that made the water appear as if it changed colors with each spray into the air. She followed Ms. Rizzo to the right of the fountain where Vind waited. A skinny young man dressed in saggy jeans and a dingy T-shirt stood between Vind and a bald feeder as large as a mountain. Disgust covered Riana’s face as she realized he was the one who had killed Iggy’s brother—the same one
Vind had promised Lily to.
As she approached, Vind turned and glared at her with hard, black eyes. “You’re about to witness exactly how I feel about people who betray those they’ve swore fealty to. This is Neil Connors. Although he betrayed my enemy with his request to join my army, he can’t be trusted not to betray me.”
Riana’s gaze jumped to the young man. Fear consumed his features and his frail body shook like a leaf in a wind storm. He was the boy who’d delivered her flowers at the compound.
Stupid, stupid boy! What made him think Vind could be trusted to keep his word? Even though he’d betrayed the Protectors, her heart ached for him.
“You don’t have to do this, Vind.”
“Yes, I do, and you’re going to watch. He’s proven betrayal is in his nature. It’s only a matter of time before he would betray me. You on the other hand have betrayed me by helping the child escape. His punishment is your first and final warning. The next time it happens, you will suffer the same fate, heir or no heir.”
Riana curled her lip. “You’re forgetting one thing. I never swore fealty to you, and I never will.”
Vind’s cold, hard eyes glared at her. “Once we’re married it will be the equivalent.”
Riana opened her mouth to deny his statement, but her voice was cut off by his.
“Soren, begin.”
Soren backhanded the boy. His frail body flew several feet as if he weighed no more than a scrap of crumpled paper. The boy pushed to his feet and swayed. Soren grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the ground and straddled his chest. Neil Connors’ face quickly became a bloody mess as Soren’s fist repeatedly pounded him. With the mountain sitting atop him, the boy was as helpless as a mouse caught in a trap. As the beating continued, the boy’s eyes began to glaze.
Riana’s stomach lurched.
I have to stop this before the bastard kills him. She lunged forward, but Vind grabbed her around the waist, lifted her off the ground and held her there. She kicked and swung her arms, ineffective at making contact in her position.
“Put me down,” she screamed.
Vind erupted into laughter. “And you said you had no warrior blood. I think you’ve just proven I was right in choosing you to produce my heir.”
“I’m trying to stop that asshole from killing the boy. Stop him—before it’s too late!”
When the boy lost consciousness, Vind sat her feet on the ground and circled her wrist with a vise-like grip. “Soren, take him and do as you wish with him.”
Bile rose in Riana’s throat as Iggy’s words came back to haunt her.
“He does horrible things to them, Riana. We can’t let him do to Lily what he’s done to the others.
Oh, my God. By begging Vind not to kill the boy, she’d sentenced him to an even worse fate—one where he would suffer and die anyway. Soren picked up his prize, threw him over his shoulder, and dematerialized.
Vind led her inside the castle. He grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I trust this lesson has taught you something?”
Yeah, that you’re a heartless bastard. She held the thought, lifted her chin and glared at him through strands of hair covering her face.
“Go to your room and clean yourself up. You’re a mess.”
Riana held to the rail as she climbed the staircase. Her body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds from the stress of everything that’d happened since last night when Iggy woke her. Almost to her room, she heard heavy footsteps approaching and turned. Riana snarled at Ms. Rizzo before opening her door. “You better stay the hell away from me.” She went inside and slammed the door behind her. Seconds later, the locks shifted into place.
With the violence she’d witnessed weighing heavy in her stomach, Riana went into the bathroom and dry-heaved until she collapsed on the tile floor.
If I don’t get out of here soon, I might not survive. She hadn’t taken any of the blood offered since arriving, and the effects were beginning to show. Even though Alpheus had never drank from humans, and reassured her it was from his private stock of synthetic blood, she wasn’t sure she could trust him. He did whatever Vind ordered. But, if Vind gave her human blood, she couldn’t birth him an heir—if that’s even what he was up to. Lies flew from his mouth like the wind blew from the north. She didn’t trust a word he said.
Now that Lily was safe, she could start planning a way to end Vind’s life. Even though she’d be dead at the hands of his men, with him dead, the Protectors would have a better chance of destroying his army.
Chapter 32
Cy materialized inside the courtyard of the compound. He’d returned from a meeting with the Royal Council. Those idiots took time from his search for Riana and Lily…when all they wanted was a progress report.
When Cy left, they were in quite a snit. If the Council wanted to stop him, just let them try. Try being the operative word. Since hearing about his engagement, they’d been an extremely happy group, thinking it would take him one step closer to accepting his position as king. Today he told them he fought feeders as second-in-command of the Protectors and had no intention of stopping until Vind was dead. The group of aristocratic assholes became very agitated. Why did he care what they thought? If he ever did accept his kingship, he would fire the worthless bunch of pricks.
While he was at the meeting, Oz had texted that he’d received several tips. Vind was spotted in Spain. Several calls had come in around the same time, spotting him other places, leaving them spread thin. Every Protector on the planet had searched twenty-four-seven since Riana and Lily went missing.
Cy went inside his apartment to change into his fighting clothes and collect his weapons before joining his fighters in Spain. As he grabbed his phone to call Oz and find out their coordinates, it vibrated. He didn’t recognize the number, but quickly answered hoping Riana had somehow gotten to a phone. “This is Cy.”
“Is this Cy…the Protector?”
His heart sank when the voice belonged to a young boy. “Yes, it is. Who is this?”
“My name is Ignasha. I helped Lily escape. Riana gave me this number and said I should call you to come get her.”
Cy released a huge breath. “Are they all right?”
“Yes…well Lily is, and Riana was a few hours ago when Lily and I left. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t get Riana out safely. She said I should save Lily and then show you where she’s at.”
“You did the right thing. Where’s Lily now?” Cy began a fast pace around his bedroom.
“I’ve hidden her where they can’t find her. I’m to take you to her. Riana said you could get here fast?”
“Yes, I can. How fast depends on where are you?”
“I’m in a small village in Italy, called Coldigioco. It’s about fifty miles inland from the Adriatic coast. There’s one small chapel in the village. I’ll wait for you inside.”
“Okay, I will be there within thirty minutes.”
“Mister Cy, please hurry. Lily’s alone, and the feeders are already searching. I saw them on my way into town.”
“Hold tight, son. I’m on my way.” Cy hung up and called Oz for backup. It went straight to voice mail.
“Oz, this is Cy. Riana and Lily are near a small village in Italy, called Coldigioco. I’m headed there now. Call as soon as you get this.” He tried Miles, Kam, and several other Protectors. Everyone’s phone went straight to voice mail.
Damnit to hell! Where are they?
He called the two guards on duty at the gate. “Do you know the Protectors’ location in Spain?”
“No sir. They signed out about an hour ago.”
Cy had no choice. He would have to take the guards for back up until he got a hold of the Protectors. “Nicholas, radio every guard in the compound. Tell them they have sixty seconds to get to my office or lose their jobs.”
A minute later six guards arrived, breathing hard from their run. “Is this everyone?” Cy asked.
“Yes, sir,” Nicholas replied.
Cy cons
idered the guards standing before him. Only three of them were seasoned. The rest had been at the compound less than six months. He didn’t have time to worry about it. At the moment, they were all he had.
“Everyone else is out following up on calls,” Cy told the small group. “I have a lead, and need you all to come with me. You have five minutes to hit the armory and weapon-up. Go heavy on the weapons. There’s a good chance we’re going to need it. He pulled down the map, found Coldigioco, Italy, and called out the coordinates to the guards. Now, let’s get a move on.” For the first time in almost a week, he had hope of finding Riana and Lily.
As Cy strapped on weapons, they felt heavier than usual. He hadn’t been able to sleep or eat since Riana disappeared. Not keeping down food, and the bare minimum of synthetic blood, had taken a toll on his body.
Thirty minutes later, Cy and the guards materialized in a wooded area on the outskirts of Coldigioco. “Nicholas, come with me. The rest of you stay here.”
The boy was right about the place being small. It didn’t take long to locate the little white chapel. Cy opened the doors. A boy with blond hair sat on a bench near the podium. He didn’t move or turn around. His head was down as if he were praying or meditating. Cy walked the short distance to the front and took a seat beside him.
The boy raised his head and faced Cy.
This is who rescued Lily? He’s only a child.
“Are you Ignasha?” Cy asked quietly.
The boy stiffened, and then relaxed as their eyes met.
“I am not Vind.” Cy reassured him. “We look alike because he’s my brother.”
“I know you’re not. Riana said you’re nothing like him and I trust her.” The boy gave Cy a tight-lipped smile. “My friends call me Iggy.” His shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry I failed to get Riana out. Vind put a bomb around her neck. If she leaves the property it will kill her.”