by Sarra Cannon
“Altering memories is very difficult. It makes up what you are. I can only do a temporary change and the closer to reality, the better it will fit.”
I sat in the closest seat by the entrance. Tane would need to change all my memories of tonight. “Can you tell me in detail what you plan to switch?”
He shrugged. “I can wipe it away after. I will tell Dragos that I exchanged Colby for you.”
“My team would never do that.”
“He’ll believe it. Trading a useless girl for their leader will make perfect sense to him. He doesn’t have a taste for men like I do. Colby holds no appeal to him but you, on the other hand, do.”
“Yeah, he likes women with poor common sense,” I mumbled to myself.
Eric climbed the stairs and joined us. He looked like road kill. His eyes shone with fever from the dark pits encircling them. “Is Colby dead?” A pair of black plaid PJ bottoms threatened to fall from his narrow hips and a red blanket hung over his shoulders. The color made him paler.
“No, I traded Rabbit for him.” Tane lied.
Eric glanced at me as if surprised to find me in the room. “Why?”
I would have given him the one finger salute but I felt more pity for him than anger.
Tane’s eyes narrowed as he stared at his pet who visibly shrank from him.
“We’re taking Rabbit to Dragos as a gift. Start the boat and sail us there.”
Eric nodded and exited to the deck.
“Are you sure he should be driving? He might pass out.”
Tane gave me the same stare he’d directed at Eric. It froze my soul. “Let’s get this done. It won’t be long before we’re at the compound.” He gestured for me to approach.
I didn’t hesitate. If I did I might have changed my mind.
He scooted over in the armchair and made room for me. Barely. Our legs touched when I squeezed in.
“How am I supposed to follow your directions to save Rurik if you’re going to wipe it away?”
“Smart girl, I’m going to leave compulsions for you. Certain visual cues will stimulate you to act. They’ll guide you. I’ve thought this through. Trust me.”
Said the spider to the fly.
“I hate this plan.” I ran my fingers through my curls in a Colby-stressed-out fashion.
“Do you have any other suggestions?”
“Storm the castle and rescue the dude in distress.” I rubbed my eyes. When did I sleep last? A truly deep, eight hours of uninterrupted, blissful rest. Must have been the day before I found Rurik at the club. That vampire wasn’t good for my health and well being.
Tane didn’t even give my suggestion a response. “It won’t hurt if you relax your mental shields.” His touch on my mind slid over my barriers. A gentle pressure asking to come in.
“Easier said than done. Give me a second.” Colby taught how to build them, not how to take them down. It never occurred to either of us that I would want to. I closed my eyes and tried to picture a door opening.
The roar of the yacht’s engine startled me. My mental door disintegrated quicker than it materialized.
“Try again.” Tane angled his body so he could face me.
I started the process over. These shields became a part of a person over time. Images held in place consciously, at first, but after some time you forgot they existed. Until some vampire asked you to take them down.
“Concentrate,” he whispered.
I scrunched my eyes and poured all my effort into the door’s existence.
“Hmm, it looks like you’re trying to lay an egg instead.”
I sighed and opened my eyes. “Your comments are not helping.”
Chin in hand, he sat observing me, not amused. “It takes only a few minutes to sail to Dragos ‘ temporary compound.”
“Where are you both from?”
He shook his head. “None of that should concern you. Try again.”
“At the A38 you gave me the impression that you could break through my mental shields.”
“It would hurt.”
He cared if he hurt me? I took a deep breath and blew it out slow. The door came easier this time. Something knocked from the other side. It wanted to come in but it frightened me. Instinct took over and I shrank from the door. I heard a faint growl of frustration. The door bulged inward. It hurt. I ran forward to brace it, to prevent it from shattering but the pain became too much.
I heard a scream then realized it belonged to me.
A hole appeared where the door should have been and darkness flowed in.
Strong arms held me in a firm hug. My face rested on a shoulder and long fingers ran through my hair. I loved it when someone played with my hair. It relaxed me and made me feel loved.
Laurent.
No, I wiped the sleepy cobwebs from my brain cells. Rurik. I pulled him closer and snuggled deeper in his arms.
A deep chuckle vibrated in his chest. “I doubt you’d survive if Eric caught you in my arms, Rabbit.”
Tane’s voice skewered me. A thousand questions assaulted my thoughts. I jerked out of his arms and stumbled out of a wide armchair. The room rocked and swayed with a steady motion.
Where the hell was I? The last I remembered I’d been in Red’s van.
Tane remained curled up in the chair with a small satisfied smile.
“How’d I get here?” The view from a window showed the river. We were on a boat.
“Your people brought you to me as a trade for Colby.”
I recalled Colby’s disappearance and my suspicions that Tane had him. Did I tell Red? “They wouldn’t do such a thing.” I sounded more confident than I felt. They needed Colby, he ran everything. I was just bait. “I don’t want to believe you.” It came out wrong but honest.
“Doesn’t matter.”
The ship shuddered and stopped. I made a futile attempt for the door but Tane caught me in his steel hard arms.
“Save your energy. Dragos likes his prey to be feisty.”
“No.” I wanted the pain of Rurik’s death to go away but not like this. Dragos would make my end long and painful, if he ever let me die.
Tane kept a tight grasp on my arm and guided me to the deck. Eric tied their ship to the dock. He looked awful, like he’d been used as a vampire all-you-can-eat buffet.
We were moored to a small private island. A large stone mansion, or better yet a castle, stood on the gently sloped hill.
Dragging me onto the pier, Tane stopped by Eric. “Stay here and rest. I won’t be long.” We continued to a guarded gate where we were greeted.
“Master Tane, we weren’t expecting you. The Master is in the city at present.” The pale faces of these vampires watched me with interest.
“I brought him a midnight snack.” He pulled me in front of him as they laughed. “Send him a message that I’ve caught him a rabbit.”
They opened the gate and let us through.
“I’ll lock her in his study.”
Chapter 26
Tane dragged me through the front doors into a large open foyer. The place oozed of history with old paintings and tapestries covering the walls. A huge chandelier hung above us, not illuminated by modern bulbs but by candles. Crystals decorated the piece and they sparkled with the soft light. He didn’t hesitate to admire anything, just continued to pull me up a wide marble staircase, and made a right down a hallway. A set of double wooden doors stood open and we entered the dark wood paneled room where he escorted me to a delicate Victorian chair.
A large black granite fireplace stained with age and use sat across from me. It was full of kindling but no fire.
“I’ll make you a drink.” Tane’s offer rang strange.
Yet, I found myself saying, “Thank you.” My thirst grew as I watched him pour orange juice in a glass at the bar. He stirred in a small vial of blue liquid into the drink. It reminded me of the one I found in Rurik’s trunk but how would Tane have gotten it?
Ever since we walked into the house a veil of cal
m enveloped me. Everything would be fine as long as I followed my instincts, a little voice told me. This mantra repeated itself. My personal demon squatted in front of me to hand over the drink. “This will quench your thirst.”
How did he know I was parched? I sipped it, the taste pleasant.
“Finish it, Rabbit.” He watched as I emptied the glass. When did he become kind? “The windows in these rooms are huge almost the size of doors. They must let in a good quantity of sunlight during the day.”
I twisted in my seat to see them. They were thin and tall. Only a foot of wall under and over them. “Maybe you should stay and find out, Tane.”
“We were being so civil to each other until now.” He ruffled my curls with his hand as he rose. “But I would have been disappointed if you remained polite.” Before exiting the room he glanced at me and stated, “Windows.” Then he closed the doors and the lock tumbled into place.
That word stuck in my mind. What about them? So they were big, whoopee shit. I set the empty glass down and crossed the room to one. Why didn’t Tane tie me up? Did he think I wouldn’t try to escape? Maybe that’s what he wanted me to do. He said something about Dragos liking his prey to be feisty. A midnight hunt for the runaway rabbit? I could be reading too much into things. If I stayed I was dead, if I ran it would take a miracle for me to escape but at least I had a chance.
In my hand the window knob turned and the panel swung inward. A stone ledge ran the length of the house. Like an idiot, I looked at the ground. I changed my mind, this idea sucked. I’d try to pick the lock on the door first.
The boat dock was visible from here. Tane’s boat floated by it while another smaller one pulled up behind.
I almost closed the window completely when I remembered who was on his way home from the city anticipating a rabbit dinner when he returned. Dragos.
The window rattled in my haste to open it again. I took my first tentative step onto the ledge. This ranked as the second stupidest things I’d ever done. Letting Johnny Turner convince me to give him my virginity in the seventh grade still took first place.
A breeze blew around my legs as I hugged the building. Even with the cool spring weather, sweat trickled down my back and made my palms slick. Inch by terrifying inch I groped away from Dragos ‘ study. My plan only went as far as to escape the room. The overcast night sky hid the moon so the darkness surrounding me seemed endless. We only climbed one set of stairs to get to the study, which meant I should be on the second floor. The ground looked far, then I remembered the house sat on a hill and the land must slope away.
A decorative stone protrusion blocked my path. Every ten feet one marked the ledge. Their width gave me pause. Five inches sounded small until you hung from the side of a building like Spiderman. Except when I fell I wouldn’t swing away safe. I’d go splat.
I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans before reaching around the obstacle to search for a handhold. An outcrop of what felt like mortar met my fingertips after searching forever. I grabbed it and hugged the pillar with my knees.
My heart drummed against my chest as my palms got moist again. I glanced down. Even though I could barely see the ground the muscles in my legs registered danger and froze.
I clung to my perch like a love-struck loon, closed my eyes and tried not to be sick. A lightheaded swirl took me all of a sudden. Heights made me nervous but they never made me dizzy. I leaned my head against the structure, I couldn’t stay here all night yet my limbs refused to listen.
The cold stone on my face cooled some of the hot flush of my fear and the sound of my panting filled the night.
Left foot already around the obstacle, only the right one needed to get to the other side, I concentrated on shuffling with my eyes closed and body glued to the wall. Muffled male voices floated from the dock, followed by laughter.
My fear of Tane’s master slapped me on the ass. It made me deal with my spinning head and rebellious limbs quick.
I swung my right leg around the pillar and shuffled along the ledge. At the corner of the building I ran into a thorny rose bush. The sharp pricks on my skin, like fangs, startled me and I choked on a scream. By the scent of the soft flowers, which grew on it, and upon a closer inspection of the plant in the dark, I concluded it to be a rose vine intertwined on a trellis that grew to the roof. In other words, a makeshift ladder.
Hand and foot holds were easy to find, I tested my weight on both trellis and ancient vine by bouncing. Nothing snapped or groaned. I leaned back and watched the upper sections by the roof and it appeared to stay attached to the building.
The window above me had thick iron bars over them. It struck me as odd for the third floor, unless they were trying to keep something in the room instead of out.
A strong curiosity washed over me, almost a compulsion, to look inside. Determined, I climbed the trellis to the next level instead of to the ground.
Thorns hooked to my clothes and skin, slowing me. I tried my best not to make a racket. At times I didn’t know if I stepped on the trellis or the vine.
I transferred to the third floor ledge and ignored the little voice screaming about the heights.
What I saw through the barred window should have rocked my world but something inside me said I already expected this.
Rurik.
I grabbed onto a bar and touched the window as if I could reach him.
They had him chained to a black free-standing stone pillar with thick, heavy metal bindings. He wore only a pair of briefs so his multiple wounds were exposed for my view. My stomach churned at the pool of blood under his feet. It trickled from the multiple large cuts at key arterial areas. He hung limp like a corpse.
A strange man came into the room. With a sharp knife he sliced at my lover and refreshed the cuts.
Rurik cried out. He strained against the chains and snapped his teeth at the man, who yelped in surprise, slipped in the blood, and fell to the floor.
The metal from the window’s bar cut into my palm as I squeezed it tight. I guess to keep a vampire weak you would need to drain him of his source of power, blood, but he healed so damn fast his captors needed to keep re-opening the wounds.
I had to rescue him. I didn’t know how but I had to.
Two sills over a window stood ajar. I shimmied over to it and listened for movement inside the room but heard nothing. The window sill sat only a foot from the floor and I stepped into the building. My earlier lightheadedness returned with a vengeance, I grabbed onto something cold and metallic to steady myself. As my vision cleared I saw that I held an arm. With a small gasp I released it and jumped back. Suits of armor stood at attention along the wall.
I entered a medieval armory. The only weapons I recognized were the swords, all the other toys of mayhem remained nameless, except a nice Connie-sized hammer dangling from a belt. A weapon could be handy, so I pushed my sleeves to my elbows before taking hold of it. Wrapped around my wrist was a delicate silver bracelet holding a key. Where did I get that? My memories weren’t adding up, Swiss cheese had fewer holes. The chain bent and curved in an intricate pattern. Very pretty and antique, maybe Rurik gave it to me?
I slipped the hammer out of the belt loop. It weighed more than I hoped but with a two handed grip I could dent heads. A simple and insane plan formed.
The hallway appeared empty. I knocked on the door to the room where Rurik remained captive and prepared the hammer, like a baseball bat, over my shoulder. My arms shook with the restrained effort. I shifted my weight to my back leg. Grandma taught me to play baseball. Her voice flashed in my mind, “Keep your eye on the target, put your back into it, and follow through!”
The door opened and I swung the hammer with all my strength. It was a home run.
The man who had cut Rurik sprawled back onto the floor after my hammer connected with his chest. He never had a chance to make a noise.
I prepared for retaliation but he didn’t move. Was he playing possum? His feet blocked the doorway. I would have to step over
them to get in. I kicked his shoe and scooted back. Damn, I’d been expecting more of a fight from a vampire.
A weak groan came from inside the room. It drove me to jump over the man’s legs. As I landed I spun with the hammer in hand to face the body on the floor, afraid of a surprise attack.
No wonder my plan worked. He was human. A bite mark on his neck declared it. His chest rose and fell in a shallow, irregular rhythm. Guilt, satisfaction, shame, and joy jumbled inside of me. I’d never hurt a fellow human being before.
“Connie?”
The whisper of my name reminded me of my objective. I turned at the sound of his voice.
Rurik stared at me with wide astonished eyes. His skin, the palest of whites, made the sharp angles of his face more apparent. Dark strands hair framed his face as he stared at me from dark wells. The predator in his soul closer to the surface than I’d ever witnessed.
“My Rabbit, what are you doing here?”
I rushed to hug him. To convince myself this was real. He felt frigid. “I thought you were dead.”
“Get out. He’s here-”
I kissed him. Foolish, carefree, and happy to have my Rurik back. Once more my head spun and I found myself hanging on to him instead of hugging him.
“Sorry, I’m a little dizzy.”
“Look at me, baby”
I gazed into his ice blue eyes and poured all my love and affection for him into it.
“Something’s wrong with you. Are you drunk?”
Rurik’s soft caress brushed my thoughts. It triggered a reflex to strengthen my mental shields but nothing happened. I stepped back and concentrated on my defenses. As much as I tried, they were gone.
“What have you done?” The panic in Rurik’s voice frightened me more than my stroll on the ledge. “Connie.” He snapped. “Check the guard for keys. You have to free me.” His arms jerked the chains with renewed vigor.
A set of keys, why did those words bring on a sense of déjà vu?
“Quick, Connie. Move.” Rurik strained from the stone pillar. “Dragos is trying to find you. I’m shielding you but I can’t keep it up for long. They’ve bled me and I’m too weak. How the fuck did you get my drug in your system?”