them from snapping and going insane. They keep a stockpile of human females to supply their blood and
to rape whenever the urge arises. Since they get off on torturing and inflicting as much pain as possible a
woman’s greatest hope is to be killed by the first demon that rapes her. It seldom happens. They enjoy
taking a woman to the edge of death, but they rarely push her over it because they have such a desperate
need for blood.”
“I am truly sorry that you were forced into such a horrendous group. They will be destroyed.”
“By who? You?” She laughed. “You can’t do anything to stop them. They are too powerful, and
their numbers keep growing.”
His expression immediately hardened into stern lines as his gaze narrowed and searched her face.
She got the impression that his temper was dark and unstable.
“Everyone from the shelter was taken by bus to stay in rooms at a hotel nearby. Can I offer you a
ride?”
“I don’t normally get into cars with strange guys.”
“My name is Adam Vlacic. I swear that I will do nothing strange while you are in the car.”
It was against her better judgment, but she didn’t have any choice. “I would appreciate a ride.”
~Twenty One~
RATHER THAN WAIT for his mother’s ghost to catch him unaware and strike out at him again, Carl left
Brianna to rest as he searched the house. He went from room to room thoroughly exploring every corner
as he called out to her, but she did not respond to him.
When he reached the basement door he wondered if she had finally departed for Heaven, but he
quickly rejected the notion after giving it a little consideration. She had spent too much time and energy
during her life fighting for the redemption of his soul to up and walk out on him. Though she did not
believe he would ever be worthy of God’s grace, she refused to quit fighting. Being that he did not
deserve it, her effort was not for his sake. Her endeavor was meant to protect and decrease the number of
his victims.
It was her duty. She had given birth to him. As long as she believed he was a vessel of darkness she
would feel a large degree of responsibility to destroy him before embracing a new beginning. Why else
had she tried to murder him by shoving him down the basement stairs? The reason she had not made any
move to communicate, intimidate or attack him now was because she wanted the evil spirits he had
harbored for so long to become complacent so that they would become easier targets.
“Whether or not you reveal yourself means nothing. I feel you hiding in the shadows all around,
watching me and waiting for the best opportunity to take me by surprise. No matter where I go in this
house I feel the enormity of your hatred for the evil mantel my father placed over me.” He sensed her rage
building and knew that it was only matter of time before she attacked. “You have no need to punish me
anymore, Mother. I am free now. I have defeated the power of the darkness that had its claws in me for so
long. I swear it’s true. I fought hard to defeat every unclean spirit that had worked through me to destroy
life. I defeated them and in doing so I’ve earned God’s forgiveness.”
He was not shocked that she still refused to talk to him. Just as when he was a young boy she was
taking a moment to savor the gratification she received by going to war against the evil in him. Even as a
child he understood that combating immoral behavior was more than just a method of passing time to her.
While she enjoyed finding ways to help him memorize scriptures, she never experienced a greater sense
of pleasure than what she received when she fought against the terrible dark powers of the curse his
father’s wickedness had forced him to carry.
Staring at the basement door it occurred to him that she attempted to lead him to her resting place.
He knew it was a trick. She planned to make an attempt to kill him on the stairs again. It was the only
thing she could think of to put an end to the malevolent forces that she still believed he obeyed.
He needed to gather enough courage to go down into the basement. He had to find a way to convince
her that he was no longer a vessel of darkness. If she was not willing to hear him out he would take her to
Brianna. If she saw his virtuous bride she would have no other choice than to finally believe that God had
deemed him a righteous man.
He opened the door, keeping his hand on the rail to prevent him from falling to his death when she
shoved him again; he slowly made his way down the steps. Once at the bottom he was instantly filled
with so much happiness that it bubbled out of him in form of uncontrollable laughter. She knew he was
free from the curse. She knew that he was a different man, a holy man. Why else hadn’t she attacked him
as he made his way down the steps?
As soon as he regained his composure he made his way to her grave and knelt down next to it. He
would never forget the pain in her pleading eyes as they narrowed and focused entirely on his when he
pushed the knife into her stomach. It was the first time she had ever permitted him to be the center of her
attention. When she looked at him she never saw him. She saw the evil inside him. He finally knew what
it was like to be the only one that mattered to her. Nothing could pull her gaze from his.
It was the first time he had ever killed. He had expected to be hammered by some form of shame or
remorse, but he did not experience that either. The only thing he felt was a sense of victory. After
searching for so long he had finally discovered a way to make himself important.
Some small part of him wanted to share the pleasure he was receiving as he watched her life fading
from her eyes, but then overcome by weakness, she closed her eyes. Anger, frustration and
disappointment slammed into him so hard and fast that he flew into a rage. He yelled and cussed at her.
He slammed his fist against her face again and again. Eventually the loss of being significant to her
caused him to become so desperate that he began to sob and plead with her to open them again. Just when
he had given up all hope that she would do it, her eyes began to flutter as she made an effort to look at
him. Feeling the most amazing sense of anticipation his entire body began to tremble as he waited. The
moment she finally opened her eyes again and his heart began to pound like never before.
He was immediately lifted up to an incredible level of ecstasy as her gaze held his. He had never
seen anything more profoundly beautiful than the death he saw in her eyes. Instinctively he knew that it
was time to end it, to allow her to feel the last great release of her spirit being set free from the confines of
her flesh.
The sweetest whimper he had ever heard escaped her mouth as he slowly pulled knifed from her
belly. Making sure the point of the blade was directly over her heart he gripped the handle with both
hands and put all of his weight into it as he pushed it into her chest. His body shivered as he recalled the
satisfaction he felt when he watch her gasp for a final breath that never came, then her life slowly faded
from her eyes.
All of the sudden the sound of his mother’s voice penetrated his mind. You are your father’s son in
every vile way imaginable. Look at you on your knees in the dirt savoring the memory of your wicked
deed to the point of reliving the ecstasy you received while c
ommitting it. You are and always will be a
son of wickedness, lusting after whores. You are pathetic. Do you truly believe you can bring a filthy,
disease spreading dog into my home and pass her off as a virtuous bride sent by God?
“You are wrong. God gave her to me. There is no other woman alive that is more virtuous than she
is. Not even you can compare.”
That is not what you said when you happened across her practically screwing a man on the street.
“Shut up!”
Her laughter chased him all the way up the steps as he ran from her. Attempting to stop her he
slammed and locked the basement door on her and then ran away, but this did not keep her from pursuing
him. She was right on his heels making fun of him every time he tripped over his own feet and fell. The
pressure in his head was unbearable. His skull felt as if it were getting ready to explode. He had to get
away from the sound of her mocking him before it killed him. She followed him as he fled all the way up
to the third floor. He opened his mother’s bedroom door and closed it quickly in hopes of keeping her out.
At last all was silent. Watching the door he waited for several minutes before he allowed himself to
believe the encounter was over. The moment he turned his back to the door he heard a strange gasp
coming from the bed. He moved closer and stared down at her. Her eyes were open, but even though he
was in her line of sight she appeared unhappy. Anger surged through his mind and body. He had done his
best to defend her honor and yet she had decided to side with his mother.
He was not going to allow her to go unpunished for betraying him a second time. Sitting on the edge
of the bed he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed until no air could get to her lungs. She
did not struggle. She did not do anything to save herself. It was the most unexpected response he had ever
received from a woman. Then he remembered that she was blind. “Stupid me!” He released her throat at
once. It really was stupid for him to forget such an important detail about her and then get so upset that he
punished her for it. Of course seeing him could not make her happy since she couldn’t see anything.
Though he had stopped choking her it appeared that she was in distress. There was no arguing the
fact that her breathing was labored and uneven or that her body was twitching as if her muscles were
having some sort of spasms. Looking down at her he could not deny that she did not look well at all, but
he could not think of a reason for her to be so ill. He had taken such great care to pad the back of her head
with thick gauze bandages before he gave her the most comfortable bed in the house to rest. She should
be well on the road to recovery.
A revelation came to him as he stared down at her. He should have figured it out at once. It was
obvious that she was having some sort of a nightmare. It had to be the work of his mother waging war in
the spirit realm. Sitting down on a chair next to the bed he watched her sleep as he worked on coming up
with a plan to get his mother see the truth. If he failed to get it done soon, he knew Brianna would never
recover. She would die. He would never get her back. It was not long before exhaustion took hold of him.
Deciding to keep watch over his bride he stayed in the chair as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to
drift off.
***
Nikolas and Demetri had just arrived at the search area at the same time Joseph started to send everyone
to Kent Avenue to begin investigating the homes nearest the shelter. The demons and vampires were able
to remain unseen by humans while they searched every room in the houses. At the same time Eli had his
pack searched the yards and outer buildings for the car. It was not long before they cleared the residences
that were close enough to be damaged by the explosion.
A thunderous boom shook the earth. It definitely got Nikolas' attention, but it was not something
that would have startled him. He knew the instant he experienced the sensation of jumping out of his skin
that it was Brianna’s reaction. Brianna! He remained completely silent and still as he waited for her to
respond, but she didn’t. Regardless, he knew she was with him. Her presence was extremely faint due to
her being unconscious. It was possible she had been with him before the explosion and he could not
detect her. He might have never felt her presence if the sound of the blast had not reached her. It shocked
her and caused the intensity of her presence to spike.
The knowledge of her still being alive helped him immensely when he had reached the point of
feeling as though he might simply fall apart. It had been way too long since he had felt her. Now,
knowing right where she was hiding so quietly in his mind, he should be able to use it to track her. Since
he ached to hold her in his arms he surrounded her presence in his mind with love and comfort. It’s okay,
little one. I’m coming for you. He had no idea if she could hear him, but he had to try. Just in case. In
theory, as long as it was a measurable amount, he would know by the strength of her presence and
connection whether he was moving closer or further away.
He entered another house and went from room to room until he had checked every inch of the
interior. As he was leaving he walked passed an elderly woman struggling to get out of a recliner. Unable
to walk by and ignore her situation, he stopped give her a boost up out of the chair without ever touching
her. “Thank you.”
He stared at her trying to determine if she was looking at him or something behind him since she
shouldn’t be able to see him.
She shook her head. “It is just my luck that you would finally come into my home again and not have
anything interesting to say. Of course I made it easy for you by thanking you. A smile with a polite,
you’re welcome, would not have required that much effort.”
“You see me?”
“You’re tall, dark, handsome, big muscles everywhere and a bit less worn and broken than the last
time you stopped by.”
“I’ve never been here.”
“What was it that you said to tell you when you argued over being here or not?” She grinned and
winked at him. “Don’t worry I’m only playing, son. You haven’t actually come here yet. I’d say it is
about five years from now when you realized you made terrible…no you wanted me to say the most
terrible mistake ever. You tried to find her, but no matter had much you tried it never worked. That’s why
you came here. When you find Brianna tonight you must not make your decision based on what her mind
remembers. The small presence you feel is not her mind reaching out to your mind. It’s her soul reaching
to your soul.”
“I would not risk her fate becoming darker by altering what has already been.”
“Believe it or not I was waiting for you to say that. Stay right there.” He watched her walk into a
dining room area until she turned a corner and left his sight. “Aren’t you coming in to take a look at what
I have for you?”
He went right to her. She was digging through a drawer in a cabinet. “I knew it was in here.” Turning
around she faced him. “This is what you gave me.”
His hand trembled as he stared a picture of Brianna in the center of his bed. He might have thought
she was just sleeping, but he knew by looking at her that something was wrong. S
he was too pale and
thin.
“In your own handwriting on the back it explains that she has been in a coma for five years. You told
me that there was some special thing for you to do, but you feared doing it, if she didn’t know you. It’s a
ritual thing. That’s all you could say. You wanted to keep trying to heal her mind because you didn’t want
to kill her. The problem was that there was too much damage done to her brain for you to repair. While
you kept trying to fix her body, her soul slipped further away. You told me that you can still feel it every
once in a while, but it is always gone in the same instant you first perceive it.”
“Did I by any chance leave an address with you?”
“It’s funny you should ask. It just so happens I remember you giving me piece of paper with an
address written on it.” She started to go through the drawer again. “You actually told me that you’re on
the right street. I know it’s in here somewhere.”
“Did I mention why I came to you with all of this?” Nikolas asked.
“You said something similar to your earlier speech about fate. You needed someone that didn’t know
you. That wouldn’t be tempted to warn you. You picked me because you remembered helping me get up
out of that chair.” She turned to him and handed him an index card. “I’m still not sure why you need the
address. It’s just four houses down.”
He gave her a hug. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re very welcome. Now go get your girl. And make sure you dispose of that animal.”
He was already headed for the door. “I will.”
“What are you doing? You showed me the disappearing thing you do when you need to get
somewhere in a hurry. Don’t waste time running.”
***
As soon as Nikolas left the house Demetri shed the disguise of the old woman and returned to his normal
form as he headed for the door. He hadn’t considered the fact that he might get close enough to hug the
elderly woman. It was a close call. Too close. If he had figured out what was going on it would have
ruined everything. He had put too much effort into this plan to have it blow up in his face. He had no idea
if it would work. It might. It might not. When Nikolas tried to take Brianna’s last mortal breath and
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