She nodded and he lifted them both in his arms once again.
Wooden struts supported the entrance to the mine. Sebastian ducked beneath and entered the cold, dark tunnel. The moonlight did little to penetrate the absolute black, but Sebastian’s specialist eyes meant the darkness appeared as shades of gray instead of the nothingness Serenity and Elizabeth would be experiencing.
“We need to go down to the second level,” he said. “You’re going to experience a drop so hold on tight.”
Being deeper in the earth meant when the sun did rise, he would be sheltered and wouldn’t need to leave Serenity and Elizabeth unprotected. They only had an hour or so now before morning dawned. Being below ground was imperative.
Just inside the entrance, a pit led to the next level. Sebastian held them close and stepped off the edge, plummeting twenty feet or so down to the rock bed. He landed lightly, his lower body acting as a shock absorber, cushioning the impact for his family.
The roof changed in height, so Sebastian ducked in places as he navigated the tunnel, narrowly escaping catching his head on the jagged rock roof. His feet splashed through freezing puddles and ahead came the sound of muffled, rushing water. The numerous streams and waterfall of the area didn’t stop simply because they were below ground. An old dammed waterfall fell ahead, and to their right, a fathomless pit filled with water lay as still, silent, and black as ice at night.
“Be careful,” he told them. “There’s deep water to the right.”
He didn’t want to take them toward more danger, so instead he turned left.
Sebastian wanted to take them to the end of the mine. With the tunnels being so narrow, if he positioned himself between them and Jackson, Jackson would literally need to step over him to get to them.
Sebastian had no intention of allowing such a thing to happen.
Smaller offshoots of tunnels opened out on both sides, but Sebastian ignored these and took them to the furthest end where solid rock blocked their way and curved up around their heads. He set them down gently.
Serenity’s eyes were wide with fear in the darkness, her pupil huge and staring. Her eyes didn’t focus on his face, unable to see him. Her hands grasped Elizabeth’s shoulders, pressing the little girl against her body, her knuckles white. Sebastian knew she wouldn’t be able to see a thing, the darkness as absolute as anything she might have experienced before. This in itself would be terrifying for her, without the horror that was Jackson also coming for them.
“You need to stay here,” he instructed. “Don’t move, okay?”
She gave small laugh, “I don’t think you need to worry about that. I can’t see a God damned thing.”
Through the tunnel came a roar of rage, echoing in the narrow confines. Dirt and small rocks crumbled from the walls and roof, making Serenity cringe.
“He’s here,” she whispered.
Sebastian reached out both hands and cupped her face. He dipped down and kissed her mouth, imprinting the sensation on his mind. Then he dropped to his knee and kissed the top of Elizabeth’s head.
“I love you,” he said. “Both of you.”
“Be safe,” she said. “We need you.”
Sebastian tore himself away, leaving them huddled together against the damp cold and the fear.
Jackson’s scent grew stronger, filling the narrow passages with all of its filth and repugnance. In the passage above, the roar reduced to a low growl, its tremors reverberating around the confines. Footfalls scuffed the fallen rubble and lighter, more hollow ones followed as Jackson leapt between the fallen wooden struts. Yet the beast had not yet entered the lower level, perhaps scoping the upper tunnels before jumping down. Maybe the creature realized this could be some sort of trap and was alert for danger.
I’ll give him danger, Sebastian thought, anger firing through his body. I’ll tear his head from his neck and his heart from his body.
He couldn’t help his own low rumble of rage vibrating deep in his chest. Above him, the sound of movement stopped as Jackson picked up the sound and paused.
Sebastian froze, ear cocked for Jackson’s next movement. To a human, the creature would move almost silently but to a vampire, his movements were as loud as anything else.
Above him, Sebastian heard Jackson retrace his steps. He knew the creature stood at the pit, deciding his next move. Sebastian didn’t need to wait long.
Jackson dropped through the hole in the roof, landing on the ground in front of Sebastian, and rose from a crouch. The hideous creature, his face pale and cracked, looked Sebastian up and down and smiled.
“Did you think luring me into the dark would somehow give you an advantage?” He laughed. “I thrive in the dark!”
“You’re here so I can finish you off. You’re halfway to death already.”
Jackson held his arms out either side. “I am death and I’ll deliver you into its arms—you, your bitch and her daughter.”
Sebastian snarled. “Don’t even mention them.”
With a roar, he launched at Jackson and slammed into the monster’s body. They both flew backward, landing with Sebastian on top, Jackson pinned beneath. Sebastian’s jaw realigned, his fang protruding from his upper mouth. In the pitch-black, his blazing yellow eyes cast an eerie glow across Jackson’s face.
Jackson snarled and lashed his head from side to side, snapping his pointed teeth at Sebastian’s hands and arms, which held down his shoulders. But the creature was still strong, even with the recently healed wound. Sebastian hadn’t fed for several nights and Jackson had plenty of fresh blood—that of the deer and the murdered police officers—racing through his veins, evening the tables.
Jackson’s back bucked, dislodging Sebastian’s hold. Sebastian fell back, his hands hit the rough stone bed of the mine. In an instant, he flipped himself back upright again but so did Jackson, so they stood facing one another like two wrestlers in a ring.
“You’re going down, freak,” Sebastian snarled.
Jackson titled his head and gave a snide smile. “The only thing I’ll be going down on is Serenity.”
“You’ll never lay a finger on her. I’ll make sure of it.”
Jackson laughed, a cold sound. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, pretty-boy.”
Unable to listen any more, Sebastian attacked again, his hands wrapping around Jackson’s throat.
A swath of flashlights suddenly cut through the total darkness
“Freeze! Police!” The yell came from the opposite end of the mine.
Damn!
Sebastian never thought to consider the possibility of a second entrance to the mine on the lower level.
The distraction gave Jackson the moment he needed, and the creature sank his foul, pointed teeth into Sebastian’s neck.
Sebastian roared.
Huddled together in the darkness, Sebastian’s roar of pain cut through the still tunnel air. Serenity’s heart broke at the sound, a sob of fear for him echoing back.
“Sebastian!” Elizabeth cried out, struggling against Serenity’s hold. “The bad man is hurting him!”
With a sudden burst of strength, the small girl slipped from Serenity grasp. In the absolute darkness, with only touch as sight, Elizabeth vanished in the black.
Terror clutched her soul. “Elizabeth!” Serenity screamed, scrambling to her feet. She stumbled back down the tunnel, arms outstretched, fingers scraping against the rough walls as she tried to navigate her way. “Elizabeth, where the hell are you?” Serenity caught her foot on something solid and fell, smacking her knees against a fallen strut. Pain shot up her legs making her eyes water but the physical sensation was nothing compared to the total panic and fear she felt for the safety of her daughter.
“Oh, God, Elizabeth. Where are you?”
A hollow splash came from down the cave and a helpless cry followed. “Mommy!”
The water!
“Sebastian!” Serenity screamed, knowing he was preoccupied but unable to think around it. “Help
her!”
In the far distance, pinpricks of flashlights lit the total darkness of the tunnel. The growls and snarls of the fighting creatures still filled the mine and she had no idea if Sebastian had even heard her or if he knew Elizabeth was in danger.
As Jackson’s teeth sank into Sebastian’s neck, sending blinding pain spearing through his body, three police officers rounded the corner of the tunnel, their weapons drawn and pointed.
At the sight of the guns, Jackson leapt from Sebastian, leaving his throat bitten and torn. Sebastian raised a hand to his injury, fearing that the creature’s bite may have been infected, but the skin meshed and healed beneath his palm.
“Freeze! Police!” One of the officers called again.
“Help her!” Serenity’s cry filled the tunnel, snatching Sebastian’s attention.
Elizabeth!
The little girl must have taken the other passage, the one leading to the water filled crevasse. Otherwise she’d have run right into them.
With Jackson suddenly gone, Sebastian ducked out of the beam of the officer’s flashlights and ran to save his daughter’s life.
Serenity stumbled around in the dark, blind and helpless. She walked into a wall and hit her head against a jagged piece of rock. Her head spun and she put out her arms to steady herself.
Sebastian brushed past. “I’ll get her,” he said, before disappearing into the dark again.
“She’s fallen in the water!” Serenity cried after him.
Within a second, she heard a second splash and she knew Sebastian had gone in after Elizabeth.
“Oh God,” she cried. “Please let her be all right.”
Total fear encompassed her heart at the thought of losing her daughter and made her completely forget about Jackson.
A cold arm wrapped around her waist and a dead hand pressed against her mouth, stifling her scream.
“Finally,” Jackson breathed putrid air in her ear. “I’ve got you alone.”
With ferocious strength, he dragged her backward, her heels scraping the ground, bumping against the fallen wooden struts and rock falls. Serenity struggled against him, but his hold was like two iron bands wrapped around her chest and face, leaving her helpless.
Just please let Elizabeth live…
Chapter Twenty-five
Sebastian dived in the ice-cold, black water, the water rushing past his face, submerging his body. Through the water, he picked up on Elizabeth’s thrashing as she sank beneath the surface, creating a disturbance in the otherwise still surroundings. The little girl’s heartbeat thundered; the sound carried in the closely compressed molecules.
He powered through the water, whole body and head submerged, his feet kicking a beat. The icy temperature didn’t affect him, but he dreaded to think how Elizabeth’s fragile body was coping with the shock.
With arms outstretched, he reached for her, his fingertips catching her clothing. He kicked again, propelling himself close enough to wrap an arm around her.
Panicked, Elizabeth fought against him but he was far too strong. Sebastian changed direction and swam up. They broke through the surface and Elizabeth gasped in air.
Beams of light cut across the black surface. Figures stood on the edge.
Sebastian swam toward them.
“Someone help them!” A voice shouted.
Sebastian lifted a shivering, wet Elizabeth from the water, setting her on the edge, and then hauled himself out. Water ran from his clothing, but he paid no attention.
“Serenity?” he yelled. “Serenity, where are you?”
A police officer put a hand out, touched his arm. “The suspect has fled,” he said. “You’re both safe now.”
Sebastian shook him off. “Where’s her mother?” he said. “She was here when Elizabeth fell in.”
He shook his head. “There’s no one else here.”
Making sure Elizabeth was being wrapped in one of the officer’s jackets, Sebastian ran up the tunnel, checking each offshoot passage. The mine was empty.
A roar of rage burst from his chest and he punched the wall, causing mini landslides to trickle down.
“Serenity” he yelled again, his heart breaking. He knew exactly what had happened to her.
Jackson.
Sebastian contained his fury and went back to where Elizabeth was being warmed back up. The little girl shivered, her large dark eyes peering up at him.
“Wait here,” he told Elizabeth, and faced the officer. “Take care of her, okay?”
“You can’t leave the scene, Sir. We need to ask you some questions,” the officer said.
“If you want your guy, and don’t want another death on your hands, you’ll let me go.”
Sebastian’s eyes flashed yellow and the officer fell silent.
“I’ll be back,” he said, before spinning away.
Jackson must have taken Serenity back up to the upper level and escaped that way. He couldn’t have gone out the lower entrance—the police officers blocked that exit. Sebastian crouched beneath the yawning hole in the roof and sprang back up the pit. He landed with both feet on the floor of the upper tunnels and raced from the mine, bursting back out into the night.
Using his speed, he took after Jackson. His wet clothes slapped around his body but he ignored the discomfort. Following the lingering scent of the monster on the night, he leapt back over the boulders and fallen trees. He picked up no scent of Serenity; Jackson’s odor of death had completely masked her trail. But as he’d feared on the way up, the numerous waterways gradually wiped out Jackson’s scent. If only Jackson had still been injured, he’d have left a strong enough scent to track, even through the streams.
Sebastian reached the bottom of the fifty-foot waterfall and stood, uncertain, as the water thundered before him. He had no idea which way Jackson went and the creature had enough of a head start to have put miles between them.
Sebastian lifted his face to the moon and cried. “Serenity!”
Only the sounds of the forest came back to him and he fell to his knees in anguish. He’d failed her. He’d promised to protect her and he’d let her down. Wanting to rip his own heart out, he forced himself to make his way back to the mine. At the bottom entrance, the one he’d missed, James stood with Elizabeth and a number of other officers.
As Sebastian approached, his jaw rigid, his fists balled at his sides, both James and Elizabeth looked up.
“Where’s Serenity?” James demanded as soon as Sebastian was close enough to hear.
“She’s gone.”
James launched himself at Sebastian, grabbing him by the collar. “Where the hell is she?” He yelled, trying to shake an immovable force.
“I don’t know. Jackson took her.”
“You son of a bitch! You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to kill Jackson.”
“Something happened. Elizabeth fell into deep water. What would you have done? Protected Serenity at all costs and let Elizabeth drown?” James flinched at his words but Sebastian continued. “Serenity once told me that I should protect Elizabeth; that she wouldn’t want to continue to live in a world where Elizabeth didn’t exist.”
Dawn was coming and Sebastian glanced up at the sky.
“Sebastian’s going to find her again.”
Elizabeth’s tiny voice broke through the two males’ fight and they glanced down. The miniature version of Serenity peered back up at them.
“I will,” Sebastian said and bent to scoop Elizabeth up in his arms. He buried his face in his daughter’s soft dark curls.
“I tried to tell Mommy,” Elizabeth said, starting to cry. “I told her it was too dark for me to see and I was wet, but she didn’t understand.”
Elizabeth couldn’t predict the future this time, he realized. She didn’t see it because she physically wasn’t able to see what happened. Her own presence in the situation must have blinded her third eye or whatever sense it was she used to visualize events.
“Hush,” Sebastian rocked his daught
er as she sobbed in his embrace. “This isn’t your fault.”
The only one who failed her is me.
“I can feel Mommy,” Elizabeth said, with tiny hitching sobs. “She’s scared and cold, and she’s thinking about me.”
“What else?” Sebastian asked, his heart hitching in hope. “Can you see where she is?”
“No, but the bad man has her. He’s going to bite her and make her forget us.”
Sebastian gritted his teeth, trying to contain the anger building within him. The thought of that creature so much as touching Serenity made him want to rage at the world, to scream his fury at the night and tear up trees by their roots. Jackson had tortured her during his lifetime and now he continued his reign of terror as part of the undead. Sebastian didn’t know what would happen to Serenity if Jackson repeatedly fed from her without killing her. For vampires, the victim would eventually turn, but Jackson was some kind of half-breed and Sebastian couldn’t predict the effect on Serenity.
I’ll find her before that happens, he vowed.
He had a daughter now; a half-vampire child whose powers he suspected would only grow stronger with each passing year.
He would keep his promise to Serenity and take care of Elizabeth. He wasn’t sure how it would work—with him only living at night—but she was his child. Anyway, he reminded himself, Elizabeth was half-vampire. She would never be able to live a normal life, not while her mother was missing. Not while she lived catching glimpses of her mother’s pain.
He put Elizabeth down and crouched to her level. “You know I’m your daddy, right?” he asked her. Elizabeth nodded her head in response. “Well I’m going to take care of you and we’re going to find Mommy, okay. I’ll spend every moment I have searching for her until I bring her back to us.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“I promise.”
Sebastian would keep his promise to Serenity but he’d also keep his promise to Elizabeth. He’d never stop looking. One day, with Elizabeth’s help, he would find her again.
CAPTURED
The Serenity Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 43